Did You Know You're Knocking Hips With a Killer Queen?
by mysterious-song
Summary: "He was going to get himself killed. Whether it was by Zelena, another enemy of his or even some of his former allies whom he had royally pissed off, Robin Hood had a death wish. One which the Evil Queen was one step away from fulfilling." The Evil Queen and Robin Hood share a kiss. But of course, that doesn't mean they like each other.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Title from 'Tell Me Where It Hurts' by Halestorm, characters aren't mine but I wrote this  
Mentions and thanks: I have to thank my beta (who is extremely awesome and made this fic a lot better than it was so yeah... thanks Sammy) and also my friends Sariana and Laura (tumblr users randomrover and whizz-bee respectively) for putting up with my excitement at this.

He was going to get himself killed. Whether it was by Zelena, another enemy of his or even some of his former allies whom he had royally pissed off, Robin Hood had a death wish. One which the Evil Queen was one step away from fulfilling.

"What were you thinking?" Regina admonished when she found him in one of the many hallways of the castle. Where he was he had no idea; he had just kept walking trying to figure out the best way to explain what had happened and had ended up in the middle of nowhere, quite lost indeed. In his defence all of the corridors did look very similar; the stone walls having a mirror or a painting hung upon them at some point, the polished floors reflecting the light off the candles placed at regular intervals and they all seemed to smell the same, what they smelt of he couldn't quite put his finger on, but it wasn't an altogether unpleasant smell. At least until you were lost and trying to look for any clue as to where you were; then everything was unpleasant.

Robin had only wanted to make his escape from the gathering when he heard her majesty was approaching; the last thing he needed was yet another verbal sparring match with the very woman who was occupying his thoughts without his permission. But, alas, that was not to be. She was here, in front of him, with her hands on her hips, a perfect eyebrow raised and an expectant look on her face. "Well?"

"I was thinking that…" Before he could explain his thought processes, which actually did make sense if only in his own mind, he was interrupted.

"I don't think you were! No one who has any common sense would think that-"

Robin cut her off mid-sentence. "Your Majesty, I fail to see the problem here; no harm has been caused by my actions." Interrupting the Evil Queen was something that was simply not done if you wished to live another day. Apparently the Outlaw had always liked living on the edge.

"Tell that to my North Wall. And you don't even have a source of income to fix it, _thief._" If it wasn't bad enough that Regina had to repair a reasonably sized gap in her wall, she couldn't fine him as a sort of punishment; what could a thief, who steals expensive and extravagant treasures just to give them away, possibly have to take?

He wanted to die. Regina was sure he wanted to die. She was already angry at the fact that she had a hole to fix, but discovering that the person responsible had been none other than the thief she was trying so desperately to avoid had stepped the anger up a notch, and now he thought he had the right to interrupt her? She was livid. Regina was nearly certain that her breathing had increased and she could hear her own pulse pounding in her ears, her anger swelling as it often did when the outlaw was around.

"My apologies. If there is anything I can do to help, your majesty-" Robin began.

Regina scoffed. "Oh? And what are you going to do, outlaw? Shoot arrows at it? You have nothing that could be of service to me."

"I've many skills apart from shooting arrows, milady." The thief was aware that his voice had gained a slightly husky tone to it; yet he couldn't find it in himself to care. Apparently the way her chest rose—almost out of her tightly fitted corset—with every breath had affected Robin more than he would have liked to admit.

Having noted the way the outlaw was acting, Regina smirked and put on the charm; she was aware her smile could disarm men if she wanted it to. And if the thief wanted to play this game, she was going to win.

"Well I've yet to see them," the Queen retorted.

"Would you like to?" he said slyly. With his hands in his pockets, a glint in his eyes and a devilish smile on his face, Robin felt very bold. But so did Regina. At least, she _did_, until she'd let her eyes graze over the silhouette of his neck and up across his chiselled jaw and instead of her usual desire to throw him to the ground and punch him repeatedly, she wanted to be on top of him doing… other things. That would not do. So with her arms folded in front of her and her expression morphed into something less flirty and more Evil Queen-like, she attempted to steer the topic away from the slippery, tension-filled slope they were travelling down.

"What I'd like is for you to stop trying to distract me. Don't think that you can use your pretty face to get out of this one. There are-"

"My pretty face, eh, your majesty?" said the thief with a stupid smirk. "Does my appearance make you…uncomfortable?" Obviously, Robin was bound and determined to be insufferable and immature. He pouted and widened his eyes to look innocent and if Regina hadn't been imagining biting those lips she would've found the face to be quite comical.

"It's just an expression," Regina evaded.

Robin took a step toward her. "You didn't answer my question." He was just close enough for her to reach out and grab his jacket without taking a step forward. And, Regina reminded herself, if she were to grab him it would be with the sole intention to push him away. Under no circumstances were the thoughts of pulling him closer entering her head. They weren't. Not even a little bit.

"Do you think I'm attractive, your majesty?" asked Robin with a smirk.

The Queen straightened her shoulders, "I never said that."

"You said I was pretty," he grinned.

"I didn't mean it."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes," she answered sternly.

Their quick-fire banter stopped, a fact that the Queen was extremely thankful for. He was starting to get inside her head, the plan of keeping to herself and pushing everyone away until she felt together again was becoming increasingly difficult. If he was going to keep this up, she should get rid of him; bribe him with gold or something. Regina could not afford to have this man worm his way into her life, whether it was his intention or not.

It was. It _so _was. And this was it, if there was ever an opportune moment to take a risk and finally act on instincts, it was this one. So, taking a deep breath and praying to whatever god of seduction there was out there, Robin looked in Regina's beautiful brown eyes, took a deep breath and moved one step closer to her.

"And yet," he breathed, "I bet if I was to take a step closer, your breath would get caught in your throat." True to his word, he stepped closer, no longer at arm's length. In fact if she were to bend her arms—which were glued to her sides, and if the queen had any say in the matter they would stay there—at the elbows she would be able to grasp his jacket. And, as the outlaw had predicted, her breath hitched as she glanced to his lips which were slightly parted, slightly chapped and entirely irresistible.

_Please, just leave now, _begged Regina's thoughts, _you've made your point, just stop talking and walk away. _

Robin opened his mouth to speak again and Regina inwardly groaned. "And I also bet, if I were to whisper in your ear…" He was leaning forward.

_Crap. _

His next words were whispered with his cheek against her own, lips ghosting her skin and the feel of his breath over her skin evoking shivers to run down her back. "You'd shiver."

_Damn it,_ she swore internally, her body had never betrayed her like this. And whatever he thought she was going to do next she was definitely _not_ going to. Unless he thought she would punch him in the face because, that, she wouldn't mind doing.

"And I think, your majesty, if I were to leave now," Robin continued, pulling back, and Regina let herself hope he'd leave completely. But when he simply moved his lips from her ear to an inch away from her own she had to refrain from sighing in frustration, "you'd miss me being this close to you."

Regina's eyes drifted closed as the words were spoken directly over her lips, which parted upon a slow and deep exhale. Her tongue wet her lips which were suddenly incredibly dry and Robin licked his own before moving back, ever so slightly. Seeing the Queen standing there, eyes closed, lips parted, hands fisting at her sides in her long coat brought a smirk to his face. She looked… stunning.

She opened her eyes to catch a glimpse of his smirk. That stupid smirk. Up until a few minutes ago, she would've gladly wiped it off of his smug face. Now? Her mind was edging her towards kissing it away, and those were dangerous thoughts. Robin was shifting his weight, preparing to leave her and she vowed to herself that she would let him. Just let him go to prove he was wrong… but he wasn't wrong. She _would_ miss him being that close if he left. Unable to explain why, she wanted him near her again. She wanted to feel his breath ghosting over her skin, his fresh, woodland scent invading her senses and his hands all over her. The thief took a step back and every thought Regina had entertained about letting him leave vanished, leaving her with her whole body itching to pull him close once more.

Her hands reached for the lapels of his shirt and she exhaled as she pulled him towards her, crashing her lips onto his. The force made Regina stumble back a step or two, Robin's hands coming to her waist to steady them both. Regaining her footing, Regina pulled harder until he had her pressed against the wall behind her, his right leg wedging between her knees and his hands pinning her hips into place against the wall as he ground into her. A moan made its way from Regina's throat to her lips and Robin felt the grip she had on his jacket tighten as her tongue swiped his lower lip. He tilted his head and deepened the kiss, putting more force into his actions as his right hand made its way upwards; trailing his fingers up her side, past the curve of her breast and once he had lightly scraped his nails along her collar bone – drawing a delicious sigh from the Queen – Robin moved his hand to the base of her head and grasped a handful of her raven hair, the secure up-do coming undone, not unlike the person who had secured it in the first place.

It couldn't have been more than thirty seconds before they parted, Regina clinging onto his bottom lip with her teeth for a split second before releasing him. They were both breathing heavily, foreheads against each other trying to calm their heart rates for a second.

"Regina…" Robin breathed out.

Of all the witty comebacks and sassy remarks she had in her repertoire, they all seemed to have failed her, leaving Regina to merely whisper "Robin…" in response.

"What is this?" he asked.

"I do believe it's called a kiss, outlaw," she retorted. Regina knew perfectly well what he was referring to and it wasn't that. But she didn't have an answer for him yet.

"I know that. I meant what is _this_?" The hand that was at her hip was now between them, gesturing from her to him then back again.

Regina looked away from him for a second to gather her thoughts which were in complete disarray. What was this? It wasn't anything, yet. One kiss. That was it. One kiss that was quite nice. Very, very nice if she would let herself admit it. A kiss that she wouldn't mind repeating. Her mind went blank, leaving Regina with images of his hands and lips all over her. That wasn't helping her think about this at all.

What did she want? A relationship was out of the question. There was no way she could—or would—open herself up like that, she was still trying to piece herself together after saying goodbye to her son. Her heart had no room for anyone else. Besides, she didn't love him, and a few seconds ago she didn't even like him. She still wasn't sure if she did now. No, whatever this was, it was not going to involve feelings. Just something to keep Regina's mind off the impending battle that was undoubtedly going to happen between her and her sister—half-sister, if you wanted to get technical. Something to keep her distracted… that was what this was going to be.

"A distraction," she said finally.

Robin nodded, apparently feeling content with her label of them.

"Just to clarify; I still don't like you," continued Regina.

The latter sentence made him scoff with a mutter of "obviously". If this was how she kissed when she _didn't_ like him, then he was doomed if she ever actually started to.

"Shut up," she said with a crinkle of a smile.

Before Robin could utter the words 'make me' Regina had her lips pressed against his again, her left foot making its way up his calf to keep him close to her. The hand that Robin had removed from her hip went to join his other one in Regina's hair. Regina gave him a push away from her and Robin was confused as to what he did wrong until he realised he was facing the opposite direction and felt his back hit the wall. He opened his eyes to see the Queen looking quite predatory; with darkened eyes and her bottom lip between her teeth she ran her hands up his torso to his shoulders. Regina smiled before going back for yet another kiss, which Robin gladly gave. The hands that were at his shoulders were now untucking his shirt and making their way under it, her nails raking down his abs and forcing a groan from his throat. He snaked his arms around her until she was pressed against him with no room to move; her hands travelled around the path of his belt to his back where she dragged her nails in with enough force to make him hiss a little. Regina smiled in victory.

Just as Regina was about to suggest they move to a more private location than a corridor, the voices of the last two people she wanted to see made their way to her ears. Acting quickly she pushed herself away from Robin and set about righting her hair. Robin still looked slightly dazed when movement to his right caught his eye. It was Snow and Charming. They seemed to be in deep conversation and he took a moment to straighten his shirt before they looked up and saw him and Regina. Together. Alone. Their conversation stopped when they noticed; Snow walked over with a kind smile on her face, looking between the two with a slightly curious glance.

"Robin. Regina. Is everything okay?" she asked.

Regina was quickly looking for an explanation for their close proximity but couldn't come up with one better than '_we were arguing and then he tried to seduce me so I kissed him'_.

She sighed, "Well… if your definition of okay is for a giant hole to be—"

"It isn't giant," Robin muttered under his breath.

Regina was having none of it. "It is giant," she said to him before turning back to Snow and continuing without pause; "a giant hole to be knocked into a wall by a thief that I now have to fix, than yes, everything is okay."

Charming gave Robin a slightly impressed look, "That hole…that was you?"

"Indeed. I tried to apologize," insisted Robin.

"You did no such thing," argued Regina.

"I did!" Robin replied indignantly, "You were just too busy being too much of a stubborn arse to accept it."

"Me?" This was better, verbal sparring, Regina's comfort zone. She could do this. "You were the one who—"

"Now don't go about killing each other," said Charming. Of course he had to ruin her fun. "If Robin apologized and I'm assuming he is willing to offer his help," He looked to Robin for confirmation and received it in the form of his nod, "then I think we can work something out."

"Of course we can," said Regina with a smile, appearing calm. Although to Snow, Charming and Robin, it seemed more like the calm before the storm. She turned to Robin. "Today or tomorrow?"

"I'm sorry. What?" he asked, confused.

"Your execution. Today or tomorrow?"

Snow and Charming looked at each other with worried expressions; the last thing they wanted was for things to become even more difficult between the Queen and the outlaw. Robin, however, saw the mischievous glint in her eye along and the corner of her mouth showing the signs of her signature smirk.

"Well, that all depends, your majesty," he said.

Regina raised an eyebrow, "On what?"

"Do I get a last request?" So, apparently they were continuing the dangerous, flirty game they had started earlier.

"Well, that all depends, thief." Her voice dipped to a dangerous tone, if Robin was to say he didn't find it at least a tiny bit sexy he'd be lying.

"On what?"

"What would you like?" Her voice was dripping with suggestion and the possibilities that were running through his head were not suitable to speak out loud. Robin spent a few seconds trying to clear images of Regina lying on her back with her spine arched, her hands in his hair and his name on her lips, and by the look on her face, Regina knew exactly what he was thinking anyway.

"For you to accept that you were wrong in not accepting my apology," Robin said finally. Perhaps if Snow and Charming weren't there he'd be brave enough to voice the more explicit of his wishes.

"Keep dreaming, outlaw," Regina scoffed.

"Worth a shot," he said with a sigh. Pushing himself off the wall he had been leaning on, the thief took a few steps in the direction he hoped was his room—he was still getting used to the size of the Queen's palace. "If that was all?" He turned and began to walk away from the trio.

"I'm not done with you, Locksley," the Queen said lowly.

"I'd be disappointed if you were," He paused for a beat before turning back to Regina, "I still don't like you, your majesty."

"The feeling's mutual, thief."

He smiled at her. She smiled back. He walked down the corridor and Regina watched him until he stopped at the end and debated which way to turn for a moment before making a left. Regina shook her head with a sly grin before turning back to Snow and Charming, the former of which examined her with a knowing smile.

"What?" Regina snapped.

"He's growing on you." Snow stated with a smile.

"No, he's not," she denied. She would refuse to admit that. Yes, she had just kissed him but that was just a distraction; a way to focus on something other than her lost son or her crazy sister—half-sister. It did not mean she liked him. He was not 'growing on her'. She felt the same about him now as she did when she first met him, with the exception of finding him slightly more attractive but you don't make out with someone against a wall and not find them slightly more attractive afterwards. And anyway… he started it.

"He's growing on me." Snow, apparently wouldn't let it go, "and I can see he is on you too. Go on, admit it."

"No," said the Queen defiantly.

"'No' you won't admit it or 'no' he's not growing on you?" Regina looked at Snow, prepared for an intense verbal attack. But from the hopeful look on the younger woman's face, appearing more like the little girl she saved than the one she destroyed; she didn't mean any harm.

Regina decided to fall back on her arsenal of retorts. "Fine," she confessed, "he is growing on me."

Snow looked slightly shocked at the admission, but smiled at her husband like they were sharing a secret.

"Like a weed," continued Regina. "He's hard to get rid of, he smells strange and he's everywhere he's not wanted." Snow and Charming's smile faded.

Regina walked away, leaving the married couple to wonder what had just happened. Regina, meanwhile, was making her way to her room with a bright grin on her face; wondering when she would next be distracted, and looking forward to that moment all the more.

Author's note: Originally intended as a one-shot but I have a few other ideas that I could turn into a story if people like this.  
I haven't written in years so I'm a little rusty; please leave a review because it helps me so much and brings a smile to my face :)


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: see Chapter 1  
A/N: Well, apparently, people liked the first chapter of this so I decided to post any other work I did with it on here again, please review (constructive criticism welcome) and if you'd like to see anything let me know and I'll try to work it in – besides the general plotline I'm making it up as I go along  
Huge thanks to my beta again: you're awesome Sammy!

The Evil Queen had reached the end of her very short temper. Snow and Charming, being the caring people that they were, had spoken to Regina about concerns with her magic. Apparently, they were worried her powers could lead her down the wrong path again. Despite the fact that they had all been here for several months and she had yet to kill—or even injure—anyone. That was an incredible surprise, given Regina's intolerance for stupidity and everyone else's stunning capacity for it. Regina had been putting up shields and practicing her defensive magic. Yet, because she was obviously missing her son and it was common knowledge that she did not deal well with loss, they still viewed her as a possible danger to those she ruled over. She wasn't; for all the damage she caused her subjects as the Evil Queen it was about time she protected them.

And of course, since that kiss between herself and the outlaw in the corridor a few days prior, Robin had impressed the un-Charmings and managed to secure himself a place in their inner circle. This made it exceedingly difficult for Regina to concentrate on anything other than him and his damn lips during their meetings.

She had left the last one wanting to kill him; he had started off sitting beside her with a stupid smile on his stupid face and every so often, when their eyes met, he would smirk and bite his lip. She could have—and probably would have—turned him into a cockroach if she wasn't trying to prove to everyone that she wasn't a danger to anyone but her sister.

But for now, all she wanted was for everybody to leave her alone; she wanted a hug from her son and she wanted to plot all the ways she could get her hands around Zelena's neck.

Being left alone was out of the question, as a certain thief was following a few feet behind her. Her son was not here, so she couldn't have the hug she desperately wanted. But as there was nothing stopping her from planning the demise of her sister, Regina did so with glee.

"Your majesty," Robin called, apparently tiring of trying to sneak up on her.

"What do you want?" Regina snapped, not wishing to have anything to do with him until she had cleared her head a little.

Robin jogged a few paces until he could stand in front of her, causing her to halt. "I just wanted to see if you were alright, milady. You seemed a bit…"

Upon seeing Regina raise her eyebrow in a silent warning, Robin quickly tried to find the right word that wouldn't cost him his head.

He settled for "tense".

The Queen scoffed, not quite an acceptable reaction for a royal, but she paid civility no mind. Really? 'Tense?' He hadn't seen anything yet.

"Did I now?" Robin took her lack of murder attempt as a positive sign, though he wasn't too fond of the wicked glint in her eyes. "Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm trying to protect my kingdom from the imminent threat that is my sister. I have Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber trying to tell me that everybody will be better off without my magic, and I have you distracting me at meetings because now, apparently 'you're trusted' and 'could be useful'."

Robin took this opportunity to try and divert her attention onto him.

He grinned, "If I remember correctly, your majesty, you wanted me to distract you." Moving closer to her, Robin placed his hands onto her hips, only for her to take a step away from him. His hands dropped to his sides as the smirk fell from his lips.

"That didn't mean I wanted you to try and look out for me," she said. Her hands clenched into fists, remembering the outlaw's attempt at sticking up for her when David made a particularly harsh comment in the Queen's direction. After everything she had put both of the Charmings through, she could cope with a few idle threats and any of their snide comments. Besides, she didn't need anybody to fight her battles for her, especially not this damned thief.

Robin truly hadn't meant any harm; he had just seen the slight hurt in the Queen's eyes when the stress of the whole situation made David snap at her and suggest that ruining lives ran in her family. The outlaw understood the strain the man was under; trying to keep everybody safe, maintaining order and hope amongst his subjects. But that did not excuse what he'd said to Regina and Robin couldn't allow the comment to go unacknowledged. The action had earned him a few surprised looks from the group and a fierce glare from Regina herself.

The Queen tried to walk past him, but he swiftly put his arm out to catch her by the waist and gently pull her toward him. He stared into her eyes for a few seconds, seeing a swirling storm of emotions behind chocolate brown. Whilst she may have tried to put up a blank façade, her eyes betrayed her; showing the feelings she desperately tried to keep hidden.

Regina felt slightly uneasy under his scrutiny, Robin looked at her like he understood everything she felt and that was not in the cards for her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, voice quiet and slightly apprehensive. Definitely not the cold, authoritative tone she was aiming for. She watched as his eyes flickered down to her lips before he gradually leaned forward and capturing them between his own.

All of the thoughts that flashed around Regina's head dimmed until the only thing that she could concentrate on was the feeling of his lips on hers. Before she could tilt her head to deepen his kiss, he slowly pulled away, arms still locked firmly around her and gazing back into her eyes.

"I'm distracting you," Robin stated with a sly grin. "Is it working?"

Regina's thoughts were muddled by the intense desire to kiss him again. Evidently, it _was_ working. But unwilling to inflate his already huge ego further by saying so, she simply raised herself onto her toes and pressed her lips to his, wanting more.

He felt more than saw her smile, and Robin happily took that as an affirmative response. Snaking one arm to meet his other around her waist, Robin trailed his left hand up her back before clutching at her soft hair—which cascaded down her back in an elegant half up-do—and tugging, forcing her back down to her normal height with a short gasp escaping her lips. Apparently hair-pulling was a sort of fetish to the Evil Queen. Robin chuckled into her mouth and reminded himself to exploit that at a later date. Right now, however, his attention was drawn to fingers delicately unfastening the top button on his shirt. He pulled away and saw the Queen looking at him with an expression he'd never expected to see on her beautiful face; uncertainty. Robin was confused; after all the seduction, the kisses and the sensual looks he had been throwing her way, she was still searching for any sign of his hesitation. Robin smiled, brought his hand up to hers and undid the second button with her.

The Queen hadn't anticipated this; an honourable man looking at her like he wanted nothing more than to take her to bed and have his way with her. She looked for any hint that she was taking this too far, that although her body was desperately aching for the feel of his bare skin on hers, he didn't feel the same. But all she saw was want and lust in his eyes… for her. Only her.

With renewed passion Regina reclaimed Robin's lips, undoing the third and fourth button whilst his hands fumbled for a way to remove her dress.

Voices floated down the corridor and just like the incident days before, Regina's first instinct was to pull away and dust herself off. At least it _was, _until she looked back at Robin and caught sight of his hungry gaze. No, she wasn't going to stop this now; she wanted him to take her, and from the heat in the outlaw's gaze, he wanted to take her too.

And she wasn't going to let anything stop him.

With a flick of her wrist, Regina moved them to her room, leaving no trace of their presence apart from the dissipating wisps of purple smoke.

Robin didn't even take a moment to survey at his new surroundings; he was too busy attaching himself to Regina's lips again. He finally found the clasp at her side and pulled it downward at a torturously slow pace. The Queen sighed as his knuckle traced her newly revealed skin and she shrugged her shoulders to dislodge the straps keeping the dress in place. When Robin lifted his hands off her body to clutch her hair, the dark navy fabric pooled at her feet, leaving Regina standing in nothing but sheer, black lace protecting her modesty.

Pushing Robin backward and stepping out of the pile of fabric at her feet, the Queen kicked her dress to the side and grabbed hold of him again, removing his jacket and the other layers separating her from his skin. Opening his now-unbuttoned shirt and dragging her nails up his torso with the sole intention of pushing his shirt off, Regina dove for his lips once more. But before she could make contact with them, Robin gently pushed her back until she was held at arm's length.

If Robin was going to bed the Queen he wanted to make the most of the experience. He didn't know if this was going to happen again but he _desperately_ hoped that it was; he wanted to see her, all of her. So, he spent a moment drinking her in; trying to memorize the sight of her flushed cheeks, her olive skin and her gorgeous hair cascading down her back. The outlaw had heard many tales about the great and terrible Evil Queen; a woman who would stop at nothing to get what she desired, her savagery only rivalled by her beauty. But those tales did not do her justice, not in the slightest amount; from where he stood, she was one of the most beautiful women Robin had ever seen. He would have told her so, had he been brave enough, but there were no clear boundaries for what he was allowed to say and what he wasn't. So he kept quiet; the limits were up to the Queen and, until she informed him of where those limits stood, he would take all that she was willing to give him. And at that moment, she was giving him her stunning body. And that was more than enough for him.

Regina watched his eyes practically devour her, his hands caressing the path his passionate gaze took. She could visibly see the thrumming of his pulse increase. And when she moved to take a step closer to him with a coquettish grin, getting impatient with keeping her hands to herself, he let her. She bit at his pulse point, drawing a groan from him as her hands gripped his biceps and her hips ground against his. Deciding she couldn't see nearly enough of him, Regina fervently pushed his shirt off his shoulders and tossed it to the floor behind her. Robin pulled the Queen closer and eagerly kissed her as her hands made their way to his trousers, tucking her fingers into the waistband, enjoying his laboured breathing and the desperation in his kisses.

Regina was just about to remove his remaining clothing when there was the unmistakable sound of a knock on her door. Robin groaned as Regina dropped her head to his shoulder with a frustrated sigh, both of them breathing like they had run a hundred miles. The knock sounded once more with an accompanied "your majesty".

"One moment!" Regina shouted before pulling away from the outlaw and clothing herself again. Robin took a moment to appreciate the view as she turned and located her dress, bending gracefully to retrieve it. After she had hurriedly re-zipped it, she picked up his crumpled shirt and tossed it behind her in the thief's direction. Making her way to the door, she paused at the large mirror on her dresser to correct her appearance, taking a second to right her hair and lipstick. She expected to see mussed hair, smeared make up, slightly swollen lips and the pink flush to her cheeks. She did not expect to see the brightness in her eyes and the small smile that graced her lips that she had not seen in a mirror since she had arrived in the Enchanted Forest.

_It meant nothing, _she thought, _absolutely nothing. _

After checking that the outlaw was outside the range of view of the door, the Queen made her way to whoever had interrupted them. She was contemplating the ways in which they would pay for spoiling her fun.

As he was buttoning up his shirt, Robin strained his ears to catch the conversation between the Queen and the person who had ruined his plans for her majesty. He didn't hear much; there was a request for the Queen's presence at an 'incredibly important' meeting between Snow, Charming and herself. She told the messenger to give the message that she would be down shortly, then closed the heavy door more forcefully than she had probably intended.

There was an awkward pause as Regina looked back to Robin and let out a small, self-conscious laugh, rubbing a hand over the back of her neck as she looked down. The outlaw, however, comforted her with lustful eyes and a small smile. He slowly walked away from his spot near the bed until he was right in front of her, tentatively reaching for her hands and lightly stroking his thumb across her knuckles before she glanced up at him.

"Some other time, your majesty?" he said in a low voice.

Regina nodded slightly with a breathy "yes". Her gaze shifted from his eyes to his lips and back again. He kissed her once, slowly, left her wanting so much more.

Then he pulled away and walked over to the doorway, checking that the coast was clear before he made his way down the corridor.

The Evil Queen breathed heavily, replaying everything that had happened. She had come to the realization that this game that they were playing was a dangerous one. If she was of right mind, she should stop before it became something too difficult to put an end to. But the outlaw was getting under her skin; he had this magnetic pull about him, and she simply couldn't refuse his advances. And as she caught a glimpse of her content reflection again, she realised…

She had no desire to turn him away.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys, incredibly sorry this took so long; both me and my beta have been incredibly busy lately.  
Anyways, I don't own any of the characters etc...  
(Rating kinda went up with this chapter - and will probably stay up - this is the most adult stuff I've ever written so yeah... apologies if it's not that great but practice makes perfect right?)

Two days. It had been two days since Robin had last felt the Queen's lips on his and he could not remember a moment when he wasn't craving more. Even now, with his son trotting out his room in front of him holding Little John's hand, he could think of nothing other than finding the Queen and fusing his body with hers until he couldn't tell where he ended and she began.

These thoughts made him too distracted to see Little John and his boy halt. He bumped into them with a grunt and bounced off of his friend's considerably larger frame. Robin took a step to the side to see the cause of the abrupt stop. Raised voices echoed from behind Little John. It was Snow, Charming, a dwarf he had seen but could not name and the very Queen he had not been able to stop thinking about.

She was stressed. Robin could see that from several meters away; her shoulders were tensed, her arms were folded in front of her and she had a familiar scowl on her face aimed at whoever had decided to open their mouth to speak.

At that moment, it was Charming.

"I cannot keep living like this; I will not stand by and wait with baited breath for an attack from that witch. If a battle is what she wants then a battle she will get," said Regina angrily.

The Prince put his hand on the hilt of the sword sheathed at his waist, no doubt an intended display of power. "We can send out men to find the area she is hiding in and then storm it. That way we will have the element of surprise on our side. We'll capture her."

"David, that's too dangerous," Snow began. "We know the witch is powerful, we know she has a plan and we know she is willing to kill for it. Or have you forgotten the five knights who went to search for her? All the search party could recover was their armour! We cannot lose any more men to that woman and we cannot give her a reason to hold a vendetta against us. We have to put the kingdom first."

At which point, the dwarf spoke up, "Listen sister, I agree with you on the not losing any more men. But," he explained, "if we do nothing we're sitting ducks. We gotta find a way to defend ourselves, and if that means risking a few lives to save a kingdom then I'm sure that sacrifice is something in your Knights' Code."

Regina sighed, apparently having had enough of the trio disagreeing on their course of action. "If you're forgetting, her 'plan' is to destroy me. There is no reason to believe there would be an attack on the whole kingdom. However, we can prepare for one. What we _shouldn't_ do is look for her. That would lead to more people being killed and give her a personal reason to wipe out half the kingdom, which she would. So we shall stay in the castle, ensure we are prepared for an attack but we shall not send out any men to go and capture her. Understood?"

The Queen didn't wait for an answer. She left, storming past Robin, Roland and Little John – all of whom had all been standing there and watching the exchange, unsure whether to walk past or retreat – without bearing them a second glance. Robin watched her go, concerned at the troubled expression she wore and the barely concealed anxiety behind her eyes.

Little John moved forward and lightly pulled Roland along with him. Both of the men were still slightly stunned at what they had just witnessed, though Little John's mind quickly diverted back to Roland with a promise of breakfast that sped the little boy's feet up until he was almost tripping up over himself. It took Roland a few seconds to realise his Papa was not directly behind him as he usually was. Turning to find his father, he tugged Little John's hand until they came to a stop.

"Papa?" He tilted his head and his eyebrows knitted together as an adorable expression of confusion appeared on his face.

"One second, my boy," said the thief. Robin held up his index finger in his son's general direction as he watched the Queen walk down the corridor and turn left, debating whether to follow her then or try to find her after breakfast.

Roland, however, was quite impatient before meal times. "Come on!" he yelled, drawing out the 'on' until it was a few syllables longer than it ought to have been.

In a split-second decision, Robin told his son to continue on without him. "I've just got to sort something in my room, Roland. I'll join you in a bit."

"But Papa," Roland's expression turned into one of slight shock, "Breakfast."

Little John let out a full-bellied laugh at the boy's bafflement at the thought of anyone missing their breakfast, before scooping him up and continuing down the hall. He looked back at Robin and said nothing about his friend walking in the direction entirely opposite of his bedroom.

Robin Hood, the incredible thief that he was, managed to track the Queen with ease. He found her in the largest library he had ever seen; walls covered in mahogany bookshelves from floor to ceiling, matching ladders leaning against every other case, there was a plush-looking chaise lounge to the left and a large, heavy table in the centre of the room with a few books and empty potion bottles scattered around. The Queen herself was standing with her back to the door, trailing her fingers across the spines of a row of very thick books, apparently searching for something in particular. When she found whatever she had been looking for she gasped and quickly pulled the book out. She took a step back and opened it, immediately scanning the pages she flicked through.

At this point, Robin wasn't sure she even knew he was there. He hadn't been quiet when he closed the door behind him, but the Queen seemed to be too wrapped up in searching for something that she hadn't noticed the sounds of his entry. He tried clearing his throat; either she didn't hear him or he was being ignored.

"Your majesty?" Robin tried. He saw her posture tense and, for a moment, he regretted disturbing her.

"What?" Regina snapped, returning to her reading. The last thing she needed was for _him_ to be here. She'd come here to work, and ever since they had started this "distraction", his mere presence had her concentration fully shot. She needed to focus on the spells she was reading, not the outlaw whose lips she had become somewhat addicted to.

"I was only wondering if you require any assistance."

"No, I don't. Leave," she spat. Regina listened for the sound of his footsteps but, instead, was greeted by silence. When she looked over her shoulder, she saw that he had not left, but he had not moved closer to her either.

The Queen wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed.

"What do you want, thief?" Regina tried to insert as much venom into her voice as she could; she swore to herself that she did not want him here. She needed to concentrate on her sister and her magic, but all she could think about was the way he would bite his irresistible lips or the way his hair would stand up in all directions after she'd ran her fingers through it.

Her thoughts lead her nowhere and she vehemently tried to focus by tracing the page's design with her fingers. If only her mind hadn't replaced the paper with his skin.

Robin grinned slyly, unbeknownst to Regina who'd turned in the other direction. "What do _you _want, your majesty?" he asked.

She almost answered "you" without thinking, before catching herself and forcing the word firmly back down.

"I want you to leave," said the Queen.

He looked over her full form. "Do you?"

"Yes," Regina answered. She snapped the book shut and released a sigh of frustration. If he didn't leave she would either make him or make him wish he had.

"Are you sure?" asked Robin, "You don't sound certain."

"You asked me what I want. I want you to leave." She counted to ten before looking back over her shoulder, only to see that the thief had remained still. Apparently, he still hadn't listened to her.

The Queen couldn't say she was surprised; when it came to stubborn tendencies he was almost as bad as she was. Nevertheless, she needed to focus on defeating Zelena and she couldn't do that when he was here, distracting her.

"Why are you still here?" she asked, turning her back to him once more. She opened her book and looked for the page she was on before she had shut the book.

"Because, if you truly wanted me to leave you, your majesty, I would not still be standing here."

Robin saw the Queen's rigid posture falter slightly as she let out a sigh. He let his feet carry him closer to her and for a few seconds he merely stood behind her. Watching over her shoulder and seeing her chest rise and fall with her quickening breaths, he lifted his hands and gradually trailed them from the back of her neck, down her spine until he grasped her hips and gently pulled them back into his own. Upon hearing her sharp intake of breath, the corner of his mouth twitched up into a grin. Turning his head and pressing his nose into her hair to inhale the scent of her, his breath blew over her ear and she shivered. She leaned back further into him until her whole body was pressed to his.

"Are you sure you want me to leave, your majesty?" asked Robin in a whisper.

She did. She was sure she did. But not quite remembering why, Regina placed her left hand over his and pushed her hips back, smirking when he bit the shell of her ear with a hiss. While Robin lowered his mouth to the junction of her neck—the sensation of his teeth scraping across flesh drawing moans from the Queen—he moved his hands to her front until his thumbs were at the height of her navel and his spread fingers traced the bottom edge of the corset she was wearing.

If Regina had had any restraint when the outlaw walked in, it was gone now. Dropping the book, she turned in his arms and placed a hand either side of his face. She crushed her lips to his with such ferocity that it knocked them both back several steps until Robin crashed backward into a table. Bottles rattled, stacks of books shook and a vase fell to its death with a smash.

Robin swept his arm out blindly across the tabletop behind him, the series of thuds and crashes indicating that it was now free for other recreational purposes. He tightened his grip on Regina, then turned and lifted her onto it. The thief tore his mouth away from hers and his lips skimmed down her neck, over her collarbone and across her chest, leaving a wet trail that ended just above the sinfully low neckline of the dress she had decided to wear. Robin placed his right hand on the knee the Queen had hooked around his waist, slowly smoothing upwards, coaxing the layers of her dress up until his hand rested at the very top of her leg. He traced the sensitive skin of her inner thigh with his thumb, drawing breathy moans from the Queen as she placed one shaky hand on the edge of the table for support, the other clawing at his bicep for purchase.

The outlaw dragged his fingers over her soft flesh to between her legs, pushing lace aside and when he touched her right _there, _there was nothing Regina wanted more than to lose herself in him completely.

"Robin…" she moaned, throwing her head back and leaving the elegant column of her neck exposed.

It occurred to Robin that the Queen rarely called him by his forename; she preferred the terms 'thief' or 'outlaw' or other, far more unpleasant monikers. The sound of his name leaving her lips with a throaty groan ignited a spark in his groin and he made a vow that before he left this room he would have her shouting it.

Regina had never thought this _thing_ with the outlaw would affect her as it had; this time last week she would have had no qualms about killing him, or at the very least making him disappear. The Queen was, after all, trying to curb her homicidal tendencies. Now, whenever he was in the same general vicinity, her mind constantly raced with thoughts of that damned thief and all the terrible, wonderful, _dirty_ things they would do. For a mere distraction this was getting very addictive; it was not something she could quit easily—not that she wanted to. _This _was something that had her needy and craving more.

Regina could hear her own breath hitch with every thrust of his hand. Robin's lips and teeth attacked her neck and shoulders, which would undoubtedly be left covered in his marks. He placed the hand that was not in the Queen behind her for balance. The outlaw could practically hear her brain whirring as she tried to keep up with her thoughts.

"Your majesty, relax," Robin said into her ear, "don't think so much."

So she didn't. Regina let her thoughts dissipate until all she could think about was the feeling of him. His skilled, archer's fingers quickly made her body writhe and her lips release intermittent whimpers. Her hips rolled up to meet his hand and those whimpers soon turned into gasps and moans. It had been too long for Regina; Robin had only been working her over for a few minutes and already she could feel herself nearing the edge.

She tried to slow his pace, lowering her hand from his upper arm and placing it over the one he had between her legs, but Robin had none of it. He leaned over her to suck behind her ear and his thumb rubbed small circles with enough pressure that had her seeing stars as she came with a sharp cry of his name.

Pleasure. That was all Regina felt. No anger, no worry, no pain. Just good, pure pleasure. Her lips were parted and her eyes scrunched closed, her chest heaved as her lungs took in as much oxygen as they could. The sweat along her hairline had no doubt curled the wisps that had come loose from her up-do, and the Queen was certain that she looked disastrous. Yet as Robin withdrew his hand, she couldn't quite find it in herself to care.

She expected him to step away, to clean his fingers and quickly leave. But when he made no such movement, she opened her eyes to see his face inches from hers with a smug grin upon his lips as they descended to meet her mouth in another kiss.

Where their previous kisses had been somewhat harsh and bruising, this was slow and unhurried. And it somehow felt different from the others; no less intense, no less passionate, but there was something in this kiss other than heat and barely restrained lust and it had Regina's head spinning.

Robin wouldn't admit it, but watching the Queen fall apart like that under his own hand had acted as a very powerful aphrodisiac. If he hadn't told himself that this was about what _she_ wanted, he would've laid her down and had his way with her. But he had, and so he focussed his attentions purely on her.

"Are you alright?" Robin asked her, pulling away from her lips to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Regina looked into his eyes and nodded, a smiling tugging at the corners of her mouth before she leaned in and stole another kiss, one hand grabbing the front of his shirt and the other running through the hair at the back of his head. Robin withdrew slightly, his teeth nipping at her lower lip as his hands traced patterns into her thighs, giving both of them a chance to catch their breath.

Regina went to remove Robin's shirt, but he grasped her hands, one in each of his, and placed them on the table beside her, holding them so they were trapped under his weight and the Queen was secure in place. Taking advantage, he lowered his mouth to just above the neckline of her dress, trailing wet kisses and gentle bites that had her gasping once more.

All attempts to free her hands had him leaning more heavily onto them. Although, "all attempts" excluded the idea of pushing him away. As much as she wanted to grip his hair and drag his mouth back to hers, she didn't think she could breathe if he left her now.

The words "I want you" escaped Regina's mouth before she could stop them; the need and heat and desire muddling her brain until she had no verbal filter. The thief, however, did nothing but tease, drawing a frustrated groan from the Queen.

Having had enough of letting Robin have his way, Regina wrapped her legs around him and pulled the outlaw against her, enjoying the groan he released as his hips ground into hers. Using his distracted state, she withdrew her hands from under his, grabbed his shirt and dragged him on top of her as she shuffled backwards on the table, capturing his lips in a heated kiss.

"Regina? Are you okay in there?" called a familiar voice.

For a second, Regina tried to piece together where the voice had come from. It hadn't come from her, obviously. And Robin's lips had been fused to hers, so it couldn't have been him. Which meant—

_No, no, no! Not now!_ screamed Regina's mind.

The Universe was conspiring against her. It was the only explanation for this constant interruption, and _just_ when things were getting good.

And, of course, it just _had_ to be the "sweet and caring" Snow White, hadn't it?

Snow's voice called out again. "Regina? Regina!"

Sweet, caring and persistent, apparently.

"I'm fine," shouted Regina in response. Snow had to leave; she couldn't do this to her again. "I'm a bit busy, though. So, if you don't mind…"

"I really need to talk to you about what we're going to do about Zelena. I might have a solution." Any chance of Snow leaving and letting Regina have Robin to herself vanished at that one sentence.

Regina let out a huff into Robin's shoulder that created goose bumps on his skin. Slowly withdrawing and unhooking her legs from around his hips, she stood and smoothed the front of his shirt where her hard grip had creased the fabric before readjusting her skirt.

"I swear," Regina said in a low voice, "truce or no truce, if she interrupts this again, I am going to kill her."

Robin chuckled, smiling and smoothing a hand over her – now incredibly mussed – hair. He loved seeing the Queen like this; light and smiling, little trace to be found of the inner turmoil that she hid behind insults and wit. Once again, he felt this need to tell her she was beautiful, a need to make her smile more often. Before the words could escape his mouth, she backed him into the table and stole one last kiss, biting her lower lip with a smile as she pulled away.

"Until the next time, your majesty," he said.

Regina hummed in agreement before walking to the door, opening it and slipping out before Snow could mistake it for an invitation to enter. Robin still didn't know what the plan was in this situation of possibly being caught; would they pretend to hate each other to prevent suspicion, just walk out and not mention it or would they just confess to being mature adults? Robin could not see the latter being an option; the Queen did not seem the type to let others know of her private business. But the other options? He hadn't a clue.

Robin reminded himself to find out at some point, and ask about those boundaries whilst he was there. The sooner he was not at risk of ruining whatever he had with the Queen by complimenting her on her beauty, the better. The next time he saw her; that's when he'd ask her. Or at least the next time they were alone, preferably before they managed to get too caught up in each other. The thought of which had him licking his bottom lip, savouring the memory of her kiss and reigniting his need for her again. Next time… next time he would have more of her, all of her.

And if someone interrupted again, whoever they were, Robin would have their heads himself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok, so this update is a bit quicker than the last (because my beta is awesome); I kinda owed you guys anyway.****  
****I was in two minds about posting this a few days ago but my friends talked me into it.****  
****Anyways, let me know what you think and enjoy ;)**

Robin awoke with a start. His heart pounding, his whole body covered in sweat and a fairly obvious problem that was going to be very _hard _to deal with.

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Robin stood, his legs still a bit shaky from the deliciously explicit fantasy he had just awoken from. Looking back towards his son, who was fast asleep in the bed next to his, he debated the best solution to his predicament. Obviously, relieving himself was not an option. A cold bath? Possibly, although there was a high chance of waking his son; it wasn't the quietest of actions. It seemed like walking around for a bit, trying to clear his head, was the best he could come up with.

After dressing in a simple buttoned shirt and some baggy trousers, Robin left his room and walked down the corridors until he was outside Little John's room. He raised his hand and knocked a short rhythm, then paused, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for his lone wandering around the castle before breakfast.

Before he'd had a chance to come up with one the door opened, his friend emerged. He was dressed in the long nightshirt that had earned him the Merry Men's nickname of "Little Johnette" for several weeks. Robin chuckled at the memory.

"Robin?" Little John asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I need you to keep an eye on Roland," said Robin, "I need some fresh air and he's fast asleep."

"Oh?" Little John stepped out of his room and closed the door behind him, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything's fine."

His friend gave him a typical look of disbelief.

_Think quick, Robin, think quick. _ "Bad dream, you know?" said the outlaw.

Little John nodded in understanding, clapping a hand on Robin's back before walking up to the room where Roland slept. "Take as much time as you need."

"Thank you."

Robin felt a small pang of regret at lying to his friend. But it wasn't truly much of a lie, and he could hardly tell him that he needed to clear his mind of indecent images of the Queen on her knees, could he?

The outlaw made his way down the empty corridors, only taking left turns so he could easily find his way back. He needed to get rid of this desperation he had for the Queen; it was toying with his head, making his life incredibly difficult. If he'd known that Regina would be this addictive, perhaps he wouldn't have tried to seduce her in the first place.

Who was he kidding? He couldn't have resisted her for much longer. She was everything he admired in a woman; strong, independent, witty, captivating and completely beautiful. It was bound to happen sooner or later, he just didn't think that once he had had a taste of what she could offer, this infatuation would take hold so quickly and easily.

Maybe if he kept his distance for a short while it would fade, perhaps his craving for her had arisen as they had gone from tossing insults and tearing each other's throats to tossing innuendos and tearing each other's clothes in a matter of days.

Robin turned a corner and looked up to see the Queen walking down the hall towards him.

_Bollocks._

Regina was completely focused on fastening a bracelet onto her slim wrist; he could have quickly left and she would have been none the wiser.

But he didn't; instead, Robin took a moment to admire her. The Queen always held herself with grace; that much was becoming clear to him. From the first time he saw her, when she had stood and brushed herself off – without his help – to the last time he saw her, when she had been arching her back and shouting his name, he could not remember a time where she'd held herself as anything less than regal. Although, he did enjoy mussing her hair and leaving marks on her skin that at least had the image of royalty somewhat compromised.

Not that he would admit it, but one of the highlights of Robin's day was seeing what extravagant outfit the Queen had dressed herself in. He preferred the leather pants, tight corset and long jacket ensemble to her elaborate gowns (which could no doubt feed the inhabitants of Sherwood Forest for a week), but nevertheless, she'd look breath-taking in anything.

Today was no different; her long legs encased in black leather, her torso encased in a jewelled, navy corset and a long, black cloak flowing behind her. She was quite the vision, even if her frustration at the uncooperative piece of jewellery had her forehead creasing and her lips pursed in a way that was not so gorgeous but entirely adorable. Though "adorable" was not a word the outlaw associated with the Evil Queen, and probably not one the Evil Queen would want to be associated with, either.

The damned bracelet had just decided to fasten when the Queen was a few steps away from Robin. She didn't get chance to look up before he reached his right arm out to wrap around her waist and he pulled her with him into the nearest room. The possibility of it being occupied hadn't even occurred to the thief. Consequences be damned; he needed her to himself for a minute.

The Queen let out a shout of protest as she felt herself being manhandled. If it wasn't for the unmistakable scent of forest surrounding her, the person with an arm around her waist would've been a pile of ashes at that point. Knowing it was the thief, however, had her smiling in anticipation, even if they would be having stern words about this at some point.

Regina found herself being practically dragged into what appeared to be a storage room of some sort; boxes were piled high against the left and back walls, a musty smell permeated the air and the only source of light was a small torch on the right side of the door – Regina lit it with a flick of her hand. The room was only several meters wide, yet Robin held her tightly to him, pressing her—not so gently—into the wall not covered in boxes before he pulled back to stare into her eyes.

"What are you doing to me?" Robin breathed. "A short time ago I would have gladly left this castle and wouldn't have been particularly upset about not seeing you again." Robin released her waist to put a hand either side of Regina's head, caging her in, his voice lowered to a rough growl, "Now? I can't even sleep without thinking of all the dirty things we could do to each other. What have you done to me?"

Regina couldn't even find it in herself to look apologetic; it was good to know she was not the only one finding it difficult to control herself. But honestly? Regina hadn't done anything to Robin; whenever she was actually about to get somewhere with the outlaw, they were interrupted.

And as much as it pained her, this time would be no different; Regina was on her way to a meeting between royals. Something about delegating living duties, as the royal staff they once had were no longer working there.

Still… she had a few minutes to spare.

"Nothing…yet." The promise in her sultry words, along with the practically carnivorous look in her eyes made him swallow hard and stare at her lips.

"Tell me," she leaned up to whisper in his ear, "what would you have me do outlaw?"

His mouth was suddenly incredibly dry, his tongue incredibly heavy. Robin had many ideas of what he would have her do, but in this heated moment, words failed him. "I… I want… you,," Robin uttered.

"Wow, a spectacularly eloquent answer, thief," teased Regina. She raised an eyebrow, sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and traced her fingers along his waistband. Her nails lightly drew patterns along his hipbones which had his brain short-circuiting and his breath coming out in short pants.

She slipped a hand down the front of his trousers, her fingers wrapping around him. Robin let out a groan as he threw his head back and took several large breaths. Robin put one hand on her neck, his thumb tracing a spot behind her ear as his fingertips dug into her skin. His other hand moved down to the one she had tucked into his waistband and aided her in pulling the band out and down until they were pooling around his ankles and he had nothing protecting him. Regina raised an eyebrow. _Impressive_.

Robin tilted his head forward to watch the Queen's hand move back and forth before lifting his heated gaze to hers, flitting to her parted lips then back to her eyes, practically black with desire. Regina brought her free hand up to the one he had on her neck and lightly squeezed as she nipped her way from his ear to his collar bone, soothing particularly harsh bites with a few languid swipes of her tongue.

"What do you want, Robin? Tell me." She breathed over the wet trail she had made, the contrast in temperature making goose-bumps break out all over his skin. "Tell me… and I'll give it to you."

It was too much. How was Robin supposed to answer when she had him in the palm of her hand, moving so torturously slowly that he was seconds away from snapping and taking her against the wall? There were too many things he wanted; he wanted her to carry on stroking him, he wanted her to stop and take him into her mouth, he wanted to bury himself inside her, he wanted everything…

"Come on Outlaw, I don't have all day," said Regina impatiently.

When the Queen unfastened his shirt to kiss his collar bone, then trailed her lips up to the top of his shoulder, pausing to nip and suck the taut skin, the outlaw made up his mind.

"Your lips," Robin's hand gripped her hip hard enough to bruise. "I want your lips."

Robin felt her grin into his shoulder as she chuckled. "You want my lips? Where?" Regina placed a kiss at the junction between his neck and shoulders, "here?" She placed another kiss under his jaw, "here?" and another at the corner of his mouth, "here?"

She was trying to kill him. Slowly. He couldn't think of any other reason for what she was doing to him. He was Robin Hood; Prince of Thieves, an honourable human being and he could be somewhat irresistible if he wanted to be. He was not a man who could be easily reduced to an incoherent mess. Yet here he was, unable to string a few words together because in front of him was a gorgeous woman with a perfect pair of lips, a sultry voice and one hell of a flawless body. And she was using all of those—and more—to drive him to the brink of insanity.

"Or perhaps," Regina trailed her lips back down the path they had taken up his neck, then went further and dropped a few kisses down his chest, "you were thinking somewhere," when her kisses reached so far down his torso that she had no choice but to kneel, Robin bit his lip so hard he swore he drew blood, "lower."

The Queen looked up at him through her eyelashes with a mischievous grin, placing a kiss just above his navel before she started to work her way back up. Without thinking, Robin put a hand on her shoulder, halting her movements as he released his thoroughly bitten lip. Regina chuckled. He caught sight of her smile before she put her lips right where he wanted them.

Then he was lost.

Regina placed several open mouthed kisses along him, from base to tip, enjoying the groan Robin let out as his left hand found its way into the Queen's hair and his right splayed against the wall in front of him, fingertips turning white with the pressure of his weight.

He desperately tried to keep his hips still as his hand fisted in Regina's hair, clenching then releasing as if it was impossible to keep still, but when she took all of him into her mouth in one swift movement he couldn't help but jerk into her. Regina's hands came up to his hips to steady him as she hollowed her cheeks with every upstroke and he released several grunts and a few moans of "Oh, Regina".

The outlaw tried to hold back for as long as possible. Honestly, he did. But the Queen pressed her tongue against the underside of him and her teeth lightly scraped the top of him with every dip of her head, and he lost it.

Robin's whole body jerked with the force of his climax. He moaned, a mixture of the Queen's name and expletives that were quite unlike him to say. His grip on Regina's hair tightened as he felt her swallow around him, the vibrations from her own moans sending shockwaves through him from head to toe.

When he had regained enough strength, Robin used his grip on the Queen's hair to pull her back up to him, taking a split second to take in the lustful haze in her eyes and the swollen lips that had now branded him for life, before kissing away her infuriatingly smug smile. Her hands reached up to grasp his elbows as his tongue tangled with hers, both of their breaths quite laboured.

"Wow," Robin breathed when they parted, "that was… wow."

Regina let out a self-satisfied chuckle as she pulled his trousers back up and over his hips, "Well, as much as I don't want to, I have to leave."

Robin wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer until their entire bodies were pressed together. "No," he mumbled as he buried his head into her shoulder. Regina laughed at his petulant tone as his hands trailed up and down her back as he placed kisses wherever his mouth could reach, "not yet."

"Robin," she warned as she tried to pull away, although the smile she had on her face made any attempts to be stern with him null and void. "I need to go; I have a meeting that I'm probably already late for, they'll be wondering where I am."

"You're the Queen, they can wait." Regina didn't get a chance to reply before Robin's lips found their way to hers.

Regina really did need to leave; no doubt Snow would come looking for her if she was not there soon. But Robin sucked her lower lip into his mouth and dragged the tip of his tongue over it, drawing a whimper.

_They can wait. _

Regina spun them both and pushed Robin back into the wall, assaulting his lips as her hands grasped the collar of his still-unbuttoned shirt. She ran her tongue along the back of his teeth before tracing an "R" on the roof of his mouth.

Robin tore his mouth away from hers to moan, "God, Regina."

"Robin, I really…" Regina was interrupted again by his lips on hers. After a few seconds of indulging him, she pulled away until their foreheads rested against each other, "I really, _really _have to go."

Robin opened his eyes to see a reassuring smile on the Queen's face. "I'll see you later," she promised.

It was somewhat comforting; the idea that she didn't want to part with him either. With a resigned smile he placed his hands on her cheeks, "You had better."

They shared one more kiss before Regina let herself out with a small smile etched on her face, leaving Robin to let out a content sigh and rest his head back against the wall.

He was in trouble. He was in _deep_ trouble. When all he had was his imagination to go on, he could perhaps convince himself that he was being generous in his fantasies; that, as sexy as she may be, there must be some area of this that was not in her expertise. But so far, Robin couldn't find a fault; she could reduce him to an incoherent puddle of lust with one look, she could take him in her hand and he'd do anything she wanted. And yes, he knew she was a damn good kisser, but now that he knew what that mouth could actually do, he would never be able to keep his focus around her again. She had ruined him. She would continue to ruin him.

And he would love every second of it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok, I know I said I wouldn't leave it this long again, but this chapter did not want to be written. Firstly, my brain didn't want to work on this chapter because it was looking forward to the next one. And secondly, my laptop has been having a few problems and I ended up losing around 2,500 words so I had to rewrite lots – and I always think the second time round is not as good as the first. And thirdly, this chapter is a long one, so I'm hoping between this long one and the next one that I'll have made it up to you somewhat ;)**

**Again, cheers to my friends for putting up with me **

**And please review or drop me a PM telling me what you think or whatever because it really makes me smile and more motivated to write quicker  
**

The meeting that dragged Regina away from Robin was wrapped up fairly quickly. They discussed the general rules of setting times for meals for the inhabitants, what information the group would share with the kingdom and determined which rooms or hallways would be out of bounds to whom. It had only taken around an hour. It was the quickest meeting the Queen had attended in the time they had been at the castle, which was a relief; the sooner Regina had time to spare, the sooner she could get back to the thief.

Unfortunately, Snow and Charming had insisted that Regina come with them for breakfast, so the outlaw was going to have to wait just a bit longer.

"Robin?" Snow said the thief's name and Regina panicked, thinking she had voiced her thoughts aloud. However, when she looked up and saw the outlaw walking towards them, her alarmed expression turned into a mischievous smirk.

However, the closer Robin got to them, the more obvious it was that something was not right; his shoulders were tense, his eyes were cast downwards and his arms were folded in front of him. When he looked up, he seemed almost irritated.

Snow didn't seem to notice the outlaw's sour mood and continued, "We're going for breakfast. Have you already been?"

"No," came Robin's curt reply.

"Would you like to join us?" asked Snow sweetly.

The outlaw paused for a moment before replying, "No, thank you."

The Charmings misinterpreted Robin's hesitation for reluctance to dine with the Queen. "We'll keep Regina in check," Snow promised, "Sit with us."

"Yeah, you'll behave, right Regina?" Charming asked, attempting to have fellow male company.

"Of course, I don't bite," Regina smiled, lowering her voice, "Much."

"I said no," Robin snapped, the smile on Regina's face disappeared. "I don't need a verbal sparring match from you," he pointed a finger at the Queen, "or endless optimism from you," his gaze turned to the Charmings. "So, please, leave me be," before he stormed past them, brushing shoulders with Regina.

Snow and Charming walked ahead. "Somebody got up on the wrong side of bed this morning," muttered David. They both paused when they realised that Regina was no longer with them. The couple looked back to see where the Queen was and saw her heading in the direction the outlaw had left in.

"Regina… is that really wise?" Snow called after her.

"He seems pretty riled up Regina, don't make it worse," said David in agreement.

Regina turned to see both Charmings looking at her with pleading eyes, hoping to avoid any potential argument between the Queen and the outlaw. Although, the job was practically impossible regardless of their…arrangement.

"Don't worry, I won't try to kill him," said Regina. She turned and, without looking back, called, "Go to breakfast, I'll join you afterward."

The couple looked at each other, bottom lips sticking out in identical expressions as they shrugged their shoulders. And with the rumbling of Charming's stomach, they laughed and headed down to the main hall for food.

…

"Robin?" Regina shouted as she caught up with him, grabbing his elbow, "what was that about?"

Robin pulled his arm out of her grasp and carried on walking without even glancing at her.

Something was wrong. Regina knew it; he was tense, he wouldn't look at her and he had snapped at both her _and _Snow. Over the past few months, Regina had come to expect his sharp tongue, had even come to enjoy it somewhat; it made a refreshing change from the Charmings' softly-softly approach. But he had never snapped at Snow before, and that was just unlike him.

Determined to get to the bottom of it, Regina grabbed at his elbow, her grip a little firmer and she tugged him down the next corridor on the right, away from prying eyes. She turned and backed him into the wall, putting a firm hand on his shoulder.

"What's going on?" Regina asked, her tone softer than he had ever heard it.

"Nothing," Robin replied.

The Queen hardened her tone in warning, "Robin. Something's wrong."

Robin sighed, and as he exhaled all the tension he had held dissipated. "My friend is ill. Very ill. We're all worried about him. The healer said…" When his voice trailed off, unable to continue, Regina felt a small ache within her, wanting to offer some kind of comfort but not knowing where to start.

Robin brought his hand up to rub at his forehead and a pained expression crossed his face. He couldn't say anything else.

It was a few seconds before Regina made any movement. Robin was obviously hurting, and Regina didn't want to push any further; it was clear the state of his friend had him and his men worked up to the point that they couldn't focus on anything else.

She couldn't really do much for the Merry Men, but Robin? She could at least try and help take his mind off things. So she wrapped her fingers around the hand rubbing his forehead and lowered it from his face. Before Robin could raise his eyes to look at her, she had risen onto her toes and gently pressed her lips to his.

The Queen was not expecting Robin to ravage her against the wall, but perhaps something a little more than a slight increase in pressure against her lips would have been nice. She took their joined hands and trailed them down her side before letting his hand rest on her hip, encouraging him to pull her closer.

Aside from the slight clenching of his fingers at her side and pressing a little harder against her, he didn't respond. Beginning to feel like she had made a mistake in attempting to distract him, Regina started to pull away. But the second their lips parted, Robin's other hand came up to her neck and held her in place. Regina placed her left hand over the one Robin had on her neck and her right trailed up his chest to lie over his heart as she sighed against his lips. For a few moments, the outlaw drew strength from the Queen's kiss, the mere press of their lips, before he finally let her pull back.

"You know, this 'distraction' is a two-way street," Regina breathed. "If you want to take your mind off of something...seek me out." She placed a kiss against the corner of his mouth with a grin, "I don't mind."

When Robin opened his eyes and saw the Queen looking at him with a gentle smile, he wondered why he hadn't sought her out in the first place. The worry for his friend William was still there, and it was not likely to go any time soon. But somehow, the Queen had a way of calming him, of soothing his rough edges until he could actually feel something other than unease or apprehension.

In a split second, Robin had taken the Queen's head in his hands and had his lips crushed onto hers, pressing her into the opposite wall. Once she had gotten over the shock, Regina untucked Robin's shirt and leisurely trailed her fingers across the skin she could reach, before grasping the waistband of his trousers and pulling his hips into hers. Teeth nipped at her lower lip and Regina let out a moan before taking his top lip between both of hers and gently sucking. And then it was Robin who was letting out a moan. Grabbing Regina's thigh, he roughly hiked it up around his waist before he ground his hips into hers. Regina grasped his shoulders, holding on for fear of falling; the burn from lack of oxygen and the taste of his kiss made her head spin and her knees weak.

But she could not pull away. Part of the reason was both of his hands were back in her hair and showed no signs of releasing any time soon. The other part was that, whenever she even thought about pausing for breath, his teeth would cling onto her lips or his tongue would tangle with hers and any thoughts other than how good it felt disappeared. Besides, she didn't really want to stop now, anyway.

And when Robin moved a hand from her hair and trailed it down her spine until he was cupping her backside, Regina had half a mind to cancel breakfast with the Charmings altogether and just lose herself in the outlaw.

Despite her wishes, Robin pulled away, and from the laboured heaving of his chest it was clear he was as out of breath as Regina was. Leaning his forehead against hers, he let go of her ass and Regina unhooked her leg from around his waist. She straightened out her cloak before fixing Robin's shirt.

"I'm sorry about your friend." Regina's voice was so quiet Robin almost didn't hear it, "Do they know what's wrong with him?"

"It's a very rare illness. We don't know how he contracted it." Robin went quiet for a few seconds before; "The healer gave him a few weeks at best."

A few weeks? It was no wonder why Robin was not acting like himself. Knowing that your friend is dying and being unable to change it…it would make the best of men snap eventually. Regina searched her mind for anything that could possibly help besides… _this. _The only thing she could come up with was her magic, and there were numerous problems with that. Firstly, Robin had made his dislike of magic very public, and secondly, so had his Merry Men. Then of course there was the fact that healing magic had never been Regina's forte, so she'd have to spend a short while in the library.

But if magic saved the life of a good man, then surely Robin and his men would accept it, and if there was a price to be paid then Regina would pay it herself. She had to do something other than _distract_ Robin, and this was her way of honouring her son's memory; helping others. She said with a sigh, "If you give me a couple of hours, then I'll see what I can do."

Robin's face lit up, "You can save him?"

"I can try. I'm not making any promises," said the Queen.

Robin placed a hand on her neck and stroked her cheek with his thumb. The intensity of his gaze took her breath away. It was a look that said he could love her and the mere thought had Regina lowering her eyes and worrying her lower lip with her teeth.

"I suppose I should apologise to Snow," the outlaw said, his hand returning to the Queen's hip.

"What about me?" asked Regina with faux innocence.

"Well, I'm sure I'll be punished accordingly," Robin teased before he nipped the tip of her nose, causing her to lean back and laugh. Her features scrunched as she looked up at him; her smile made her look years younger. "Come on then, let's go to breakfast. It would be nice to take a break for a short while."

"Are you sure? You know Snow and Charming will have 'endless optimism' and that can be difficult when you have something like this to deal with," said Regina.

Robin sighs, "Perhaps, but I owe her an apology."

Regina placed a hand on his cheek, "You don't owe anyone anything. You know what? I'll make your excuses. Go on to your friend. I'll join you later."

Robin was a bit taken aback. "Are you sure?" he asked incredulously.

"I'm saving you from Snow's continuous wave of questions, and this offer does expire. Take advantage of it."

"Alright." Robin tightened his hold on her, "But might I take advantage of _you _later?"

Robin heard her mischievous laugh before she leaned up to whisper in his ear, "I'm counting on it." She pulled back after a kiss to his jawline, "I'm not doing this out of the kindness of my heart."

It was Robin's turn to chuckle as he watched her leave to find the Charmings.

"Regina?" He called to her. She spun back around to face him. Robin smiled, "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure," she drawled with a wink, and then walked away. His mood was somewhat lifted as he headed back to his son and his men, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

…

Regina searched for an hour and a half, sifting through every healing spell she could find, brushing up on her knowledge of the art of mending injuries. Rumple hadn't taught her much on that particular subject. The thought of her wanting to heal anyone probably never even occurred to him. And he only taught what he thought she would need; the extent of her medicinal training was receiving a sword through the stomach and the choice to either heal herself or die. For an illness such as this, it was doubtful that her one short lesson – however successful – would have been enough.

So, after a great deal of reading and a numbing headache, Regina asked around for the man's location. She made her way to the chamber, where Robin and his men were looking after their friend.

Apparently his name was William Stutely, but other than the fact that he was severely ill and the healer had done all he could, Regina knew nothing.

Reaching the door to William's chambers, the Queen lifted her hand and knocked, waiting patiently for one of the men inside to open the door. It was a dishevelled looking Friar Tuck who greeted her—if staring could be classified as a greeting—with crumpled clothing and a bottle in his hand. Taking a deep breath, Regina asked for entry, which he warily granted.

She had not taken four steps when she heard a man's voice disdainfully ask, "What is _she _doing here?"

Looking around at the group of men, it was not difficult to discern which one had spoken. He had black, slicked back hair and stood with a hand clutching the knife sheathed at his waist. He looked at the Queen with fury in his eyes, like he wanted nothing more than to slit her throat. Regina, though not scared, felt slightly uneasy when his grip on his dagger tightened. "Well?"

"'_She' _is here to help." Regina looked over to where William laid, unmoving. "Although, if none of you want me here, I'll gladly leave."

There was a second where the Merry Men contemplated what to do, sharing glances between themselves and the Queen.

"Regina," said Robin's voice. The whole team turned to see their leader entering with his son, looking slightly nervous at the Queen's glare. "Your majesty," he amended. "You made it."

"Obviously," the Queen muttered as she gestured to herself with her hands.

Robin picked up Roland and moved to sit down in the chair beside the bed. He beckoned her over, "Come on."

"Wait, Robin," interrupted Little John as he stepped in front of his leader, "what are you doing?"

"She can help," Robin protested. "We've got to let her try, for Will."

"Robin, she's the Evil Queen," argued John, "not a healer!"

Having had enough of the judgemental looks from Robin's men,—while he himself tried to plead a case for her presence—Regina spoke up. "Whoever I may or may not be, the question you need to ask yourselves is this; would you rather let your friend die than accept my help? Because that is what it will come down to."

Once again, the Merry Men looked between each other before a young lad stepped forward. He couldn't have been more than twenty and his voice shook when he spoke. "You can heal him?" he asked hesitantly.

Regina tried to soften her gaze, "I can't make any promises, but I can try if you'll let me."

"We'll let you." Another man stepped forward, a middle-aged man who—despite his rugged appearance—had kind eyes. "If it saves our Will, we'll let you."

The majority of men nodded, but the man with his hand on his dagger refused to show any sign of agreement. That is, until another man standing next to him nudged him sharply with his elbow. The bitter one rolled his eyes and scoffed but gave a curt nod before sitting back down. The man who had elbowed him looked at Regina and offered a genuine smile, something Regina was not used to receiving. The man himself seemed nice; there was no sign of his friend's disdain in his green eyes and, despite his ill-fitting clothes, he was not unattractive.

Regina snapped back out of her reverie. What was it with her and admiring the Merry Men? First Robin, now this one…whoever he was. She needed to regain control of herself.

"Milady?" came Robin's voice, "Are you coming?"

Taking one last glance around at the Merry Men, Regina walked toward the bed where the ill man resided and took a seat on the edge.

William had to have been the oldest of the Merry Men; he appeared to be around his mid to late fifties. But there was no doubt in Regina's mind that he was not one to mess around with—when he was well, of course. But at the moment his short, silver hair was matted to his forehead, his skin was a deathly shade of yellow and sweat beaded along his hairline and upper lip.

Shifting to get slightly more comfortable, Regina placed her hands on the man's chest, letting her magic flow freely to assess the damage.

It was a mess. Everything was wrong at once; his lungs were weak, his kidneys were failing, his heart was slowing and despite the man's stubborn will to keep fighting—which Regina strongly admired—if left to his own devices, he would surely die. Possibly sooner than the two weeks predicted. He was quite fortunate that Regina had vowed to try and save him, even if her reasoning behind it was simply to make his leader smile again.

Closing her eyes, Regina focussed her energy into repairing the man's body, imagining it healthy and fully functioning; the lungs fully inflating, the heart beating strongly, his muscles working without aching. Despite the warnings in her books—which described how healing magic used up a majority of the caster's energy—Regina did not stop until she had restored everything she could, feeling the man's life-force grow brighter every second.

When the Queen opened her eyes, the man in front of her was dramatically different; he looked like he could be merely sleeping, rather than like a dying man barely clinging onto life. There was colour in his cheeks, his chest was rising and falling without wheezing and his heart beat in a steady thumping rhythm that Regina could feel from where her hands rested on his torso.

Lifting her head to look at Robin she gave a tired smile before placing her hands in her lap and sitting upright. "He'll be okay, give him a few days of rest and he'll be right as rain."

"Thank you." Gratitude shone out of Robin's eyes and if they were not surrounded by his Merry Men, Regina would have given in to the urge to kiss him. Instead, she simply smiled and stood, taking a moment to let the dizziness left over from the healing spell fade away, before she turned to everyone else in the room.

Robin's Merry Men looked at Regina in a new light; she had saved their friend. Their dear William was going to live, and the Evil Queen hadn't asked for anything in return for saving him. All eyes followed her as she left the room with a quick smile in the Merry Men's direction, not caring who saw it or not.

She had done it. The Evil Queen had saved a life. With a slight sense of pride, Regina closed the door behind her as she left to return to her chambers. The door didn't stay shut for long though, and there was the unmistakable sound of footsteps behind her. Regina assumed they were Robin's. When she turned around at the call of "your majesty", she was surprised to find that it was, in fact, another man, the one who had smiled at her earlier.

"Hello," he said, "the name's George."

Regina looked at him in slight confusion, her "hello" coming out as more of a question than a greeting.

"About Dave," George started, elaborating upon seeing her confused expression, "the fellow who was reluctant to let you help—he's, well—" he sighed lightly, rubbing his neck, "you had a price out for our heads for years, I suppose we all have a right to be a bit wary of you being near us."

"You do," Regina agreed. "However, you are in _my _castle. You're bound to run into me at some point."

He stepped toward her in a way that vaguely reminded her of Robin. "Well, I don't think I bump into you as often as I'd like to, your majesty."

Regina let out a slight laugh, "Well, I don't usually have a reason to be around here."

"Perhaps you should find one," said George with a wink.

The Queen spent a moment observing this strange man. Why was he being nice? People weren't usually nice to her unless they wanted something, and even then it was obviously forced. But the way he smiled and ran a hand through his sandy blond hair, as if he was slightly nervous, seemed anything but fake.

"Regina, I just wanted to—" Robin's voice trailed off as he saw the way his friend and Regina were looking at each other. His smile slowly dissipated as he addressed the other man. "George, Dave wanted to speak to you."

"Oh, of course," said George as he turned back to the Queen and took her left hand in his right, her eyebrows rising in surprise as he lifted the back of her hand to his lips. "Find a reason, your majesty."

"I'll look into it." Regina's gaze didn't leave his until he'd disappeared into the other room and left the Queen and the outlaw alone.

When her attention turned back to Robin, Regina noticed the scowl on his face as he glared at the closed door before turning that same glare to her. "What?" she asked innocently.

Robin pointed to the door as he asked, "What's going on between you two?"

Letting out a short laugh, Regina folded her arms. "Nothing," she said.

"It didn't look like nothing," accused Robin.

"Well, he was only…" Regina paused as the reason behind the outlaw's odd demeanour suddenly occurred to her. "Are you jealous?"

"No," he denied immediately, "Why would I be jealous?"

_He's definitely jealous, _Regina thought with a smile. "Why indeed? You know, we never said we'd be exclusive."

"I know," said Robin, putting his hands in his pockets, "But…honestly? George?"

The Queen gave him a curious look, "What's wrong with George?"

"What's right with him?" he countered.

"I haven't found out," she answered. Seeing Robin's irritation at the situation, she couldn't help but tease him a bit. "Yet."

Robin ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and he turned away from her, groaning. Taking pity on him, Regina stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his middle, resting her chin on his shoulder. "You know," she said, "if you wanted me all to yourself, you could have just told me."

Turning in her arms, Robin looked at her as he stated without preamble, "I want you all to myself." When Regina's smile turned into a grin, Robin raised his hand to her cheek and trailed his thumb along her lower lip. "Mine," he whispered.

Regina was firm in her reply; "I don't belong to anyone."

Robin smirked, leaning forward and stealing a kiss, repeating the word over and over, "mine". Just as Regina went to kiss him again, they were knocked slightly off balance by a little boy crashing into their legs. They both chuckled before Robin bent down and scooped his son up into his arms.

"Papa!" the boy's excitement left him unable to remain still, swinging his legs and putting both his hands on his father's cheeks. "Papa! Will's not asleep anymore."

Noticing that the woman standing with his father was the Queen, Roland suddenly calmed down, muttering a shy hello and tucking his head in his father's shoulder. Robin chuckled before turning back to Regina, thanking her.

"You're welcome," she said.

Robin turned back to his son. "Are you going to say thank you Roland? Her majesty is the one who saved Will."

The little boy looked to Regina with wonder in his eyes, "You did?"

"Yes," Regina nodded with a smile.

"With magic?" He turned to his father, who nodded. Roland's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "But you said magic was bad," he whispered, as if he were trying to hide a secret. But Roland was not very skilled at whispering, and he said it loud enough for the Queen to hear.

Robin suddenly looked uncomfortable, his gaze falling to the floor at his son's words. True as they were, magic had just saved Robin's oldest friend, someone he grew up knowing, and that was a good thing. Maybe he should try to revise his opinion on the matter.

"Roland, magic itself isn't bad," Regina explained, "but sometimes the people using it want to do bad things."

"Oh." Roland looked to his father, then back to the Queen.

Regina gave the most reassuring smile she could muster. "The magic that saved your friend wasn't bad, I promise."

"Okay." The adults looked between each other; they had forgotten how easily a child can accept new concepts. Roland turned to Regina, "Thank you for helping Will with good magic."

"You're welcome," she said once again, with a laugh.

She watched Roland place his hands back on his father's cheeks. "Papa, can we see Will now?"

Watching Robin hoisting Roland higher and tickling his stomach until he giggled, Regina smiled at father and son before she decided that it was time to leave. She had only taken five steps before she heard Roland shout behind her, "Goodbye majesty!"

Turning back around, she gave Roland a little wave, "Goodbye Roland."

Robin smiled, "I'll see you later?" he asked.

Regina didn't want to push anymore, so she made it clear that it was up to Robin when he would next see her. "Whenever you like."

She smiled at them both before she left, turning down the corridor, feeling decidedly light and content.

She didn't hear Roland say "she's pretty, Papa."

Nor did she hear his father reply with "that she is, my boy, that she is."

…

Two days later, Robin felt a lot happier; between his friend being up and about, his son being as happy and healthy as usual and finally making his way to see Regina again, he was practically humming as he strolled down the corridor on his way to the Queen's chamber.

He didn't need to walk very far; halfway there, he walked past a conference room and saw Regina standing at a table, thoroughly focussed on a few books. He watched her lift a hand over one of the pages, and when she slowly raised her hand whilst slightly waving her fingers there was a blue shimmer that turned into a translucent sheet between her hand and the paper. Regina observed her magic with a frown before closing her hand into a fist, the blue magic fizzling out, mixing with purple smoke.

After the healing of his friend and now this little display, Robin could now see the beauty of the Queen's magic. Whilst he would never use it personally, he could admit that some was truly spectacular, much like the sorceress he was watching use it.

As Regina turned the page, Robin stepped over the threshold, checking that nobody else was in the room before sticking his head back out into the corridor to ensure that no one was there, either. Once he had fully entered, he closed the door by leaning on it, folding his arms and crossing one ankle over the other. He tilted his head and admired the Queen's profile, imagining her slim figure with perfect curvature without her troublesome clothing, her long, toned legs wrapping around his waist and her dainty hands clawing at his back. His thoughts led to him taking stealthy footsteps until he was directly behind the Queen, and he could not stop himself from snaking his hands over her sides, to her front, until his arms were wrapped around her and he was nuzzling into her neck.

He felt her whole body tense and her head turn from one side to the other, looking for potential witnesses.

"We're fine, your majesty," Robin assured her, "it's just us – I checked."

As soon as she turned in his arms, Robin had his lips pressed to hers. With hands framing her face, he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. The outlaw then moved forward until Regina was leaning back over the table and she sat up on the edge to escape a strained back. Robin pushed the books away so that they slid over to the opposite side of the table, and then continued to press forward until the Queen was reclining on her elbows to keep herself upright. Pulling away, Robin smirked as he unfastened the lacing at the front of Regina's dress with sure movements.

"Here? Really?" Regina asked Robin, sounding more breathless than she would've liked as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

It was not the most secluded of places, the outlaw was either being incredibly stupid and trying to out them or he was so desperate for her that he couldn't wait long enough to move them to a more private location. The Queen preferred the idea of the latter and, as much as she loathed admitting it, her thoughts were heading in the same direction as the thief's.

"Why not?" He whispered into her neck. Regina let out a whimper as Robin bit at her collar bone and trailed a single finger along the new, plunging neckline he had just made. The Queen tensed, hiking up her thighs and digging a heel into his rear, bringing him even closer to her.

At that moment, the doors opened. In a matter of seconds and with the release of a sharp gasp, Regina scrambled off the table, put some distance between Robin and herself and turned to face the opposite wall, hoping to lace up her dress with a semblance of privacy.

"That's why," she ground out through gritted teeth. The Queen sent him a glare that would intimidate even the bravest of foes, but the outlaw merely smirked and chuckled. Regina found herself releasing a small laugh which brightened her face and, in Robin's opinion, made her look stunning. If he could only ever accomplish one thing in his life, Robin wanted to make her laugh like that.

He stepped closer and spoke breathy words against her ear. "The next time we meet like this… I'm going to take you, all of you," he said.

Regina's breath caught in her throat, but she managed a mocking sneer of "promises, promises."

Robin had the gall to act offended. "I'll have you know that I am a man of my word, milady."

Looking straight into his eyes, Regina responded with an evil smirk and said "You had better be, outlaw."

He leaned forward to whisper, "Oh, I am, your majesty." Robin pulled back when he saw the Queen biting her lower lip, "as I'm sure you'll enjoy finding out."

Mindful of their audience, the outlaw gave Regina a subtle wink and then left, the way he deliberately brushed up against her as he did so drew a sigh from her lips.

A movement in Regina's peripheral vision made her small smile fade and she lifted her chin. The Queen looked to her right and saw David leaning on the edge of the table.

_Typical_, Regina thought, _if it's not one Charming, it's the other._

Or, in this case, both. Snow walked up to her husband and they both looked to Regina with unbridled joy in their eyes. How could they be so happy, given the current situation with Zelena?

"What?" Regina snapped, her patience already wearing thin at the hopeful light in their eyes. She had seen that look before, every time the couple had received news of something hopeful. And whilst their hope may have been of service to them, it did not help Regina. If they discovered something that could assist her in her mission to stop her sister, she needed to know as soon as possible. If it could not aid her, she couldn't care less; hopeful Charmings were insufferable Charmings.

And if she had to endure one more "just have hope, Regina", she could not be held responsible for muting them, permanently.

Charming wrapped an arm around his wife's waist, his smile wide and lighting his whole face. Regina wondered what the hell had changed between them, what had the pair acting like they were on their honeymoon again. If they started giving each other longing looks, or anything remotely lovey-dovey, she was leaving.

Snow looked to her other half, took a deep breath and announced, "I'm pregnant."

Well, Regina certainly hadn't seen that coming.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for sticking with me guys, I know the updates aren't as regular as I'd like but due to unforeseen events for both me and my beta it's taken a little while for this chapter to get sorted. I hope you can accept this chapter as a sincere apology from me :)****  
****I'm still a bit nervous about publishing stuff like this (I usually stick to writing teen-rated fics :S) so any hints or tips would be appreciated if something was not quite right – or if it was all good then you can tell me that too :P****  
****Anyways, enjoy :D****  
****xXx**

Watching Roland play was one of Robin's favourite past-times. The boy's imagination was astounding; to him, a lump of clay could be a castle or a wooden twig could be a horse. The four year old had the ability to turn anything into anything – and look adorable whilst doing it.

Of course, castle rooms had more potential animals and buildings that the little boy knew what to do with. Roland sat on the floor amidst piles of boxes, small books and odd things he had found amongst the drawers. Roland stuck his tongue out the corner of his mouth in concentration as he tried to decide what to play with next.

Robin looked at his son with a smile, pulling himself off of the edge of his bed to help Roland with whatever scenario his boy was acting out. But the sound of several loud knocks in rapid succession echoed throughout the room and Robin looked over his shoulder to the door.

He walked over with a small smile, expecting Regina; the thief had made it quite clear to her that the next time they met would not be a short confrontation, and the Queen hadn't seemed adverse to the idea. But to Robin's dismay, he was not greeted by dark hair, brown eyes and soft curves at the door. Rather, it was Little John, followed closely behind by Will Stutely. They both appeared quite serious and Robin felt a seed of worry plant itself in the pit of his stomach.

Will did nothing to settle Robin's uneasiness by asking Roland to play elsewhere with Little John, claiming that he needed to speak with the boy's father in private.

Roland agreed readily, throwing pinecones and twigs into a small brown box and scurrying out of the room, his little hands gripping it tightly to keep the box from falling from his grasp. Little John gave Will a nod and then left, calling out for Roland to wait for him. The elder man stepped through the doorway and shut the door behind him.

And without warning, he smacked Robin upside the head. "What were you thinking son?" asked Will incredulously.

The outlaw frowned, rubbing the back of his neck, confused. "What?"

"I was growing tired of you deflecting my questions with vague answers every time I asked you what happened to me. So I asked the Men. They didn't think you'd tell me everything so they informed me themselves," said Will as he delivered another slap him upside Robin's head again. "Magic, son? That was what you resorted to?"

"Will—" he started to explain.

"No," Will's sharp tone stopped the outlaw in his tracks. "Robin, whatever happened to your ideals? 'All magic comes with a price', that's what you would always say. You were livid when Scarlet stole magic from Maleficent. And now you're cavorting with the Evil Queen?"

"Will, she's—" Robin began.

"She's what?"

Robin bit his tongue. How was he to voice his opinion without sounding like a madman? Regina was not evil, but saying that the Evil Queen was good? It would most likely get him nothing but another slap upside the head. Regina was far more than what everyone thought her to be, of this Robin was certain. They hadn't seen what he had; the beautiful parts of her that she kept hidden behind walls so tall very few were able to get past. If other people could see that, they would treat her a lot differently.

Will softened his tone to the one he used to use to gently scold the outlaw as a child. "Robin, lad, she tried to kill us. She put a bounty on our heads, ordered her Black Knights to bring us to her dead or alive. And you asked her to save me?"

"I didn't ask her," Robin replied. "She offered."

"Oh, yes, I suppose that makes everything alright, then." Sarcasm practically dripped from Will's words. "Robin, she slaughtered whole villages, she ruined lives and she spent _years_ of her life trying to destroy Snow White."

Robin sighed. "I know. I know that she did. But now she's fighting _with_ Snow—fighting for _us_—she's making amends and trying to be a better person. She healed you, a stranger, because she wanted to. That's a far cry from being a mass murderer don't you think?"

"She's the Evil Queen, Robin. I don't trust her," argued Will.

Robin's response was immediate, "Then trust me."

Will paused, contemplating the reasons why his leader might be defending the Evil Queen so adamantly. The man did not like what he was coming up with. "What's going on Robin?"

"Nothing," Robin replied, shaking his head.

"Robin," Will warned, "As your father's steward I watched you grow up. I know when you're lying to me. What's going on?"

Robin felt slightly nervous at his friend's stare. "It's nothing," he protested with his eyes averted to the ground.

"'Nothing' is no valid explanation for why you're defending the Evil Queen like this." Will folded his arms in front of his dark green shirt. "What happened between the two of you?"

Taking a few seconds to breathe in and out, Robin considered the best way to get Will to understand his way of thinking. Obviously, their whole 'distraction' agreement wouldn't be mentioned, but if there was a way that he could explain that Regina was more than just the Queen, or the Evil Queen at that, then perhaps Will wouldn't be so quick to judge her.

"I've seen the woman behind the mask, Will." Robin started. "I've seen Regina. And she's not… the monster everyone makes her out to be. She's much more than that, and she's trying so hard to be a better person but no one will give her a chance."

Will looked sceptical, "And that's what you're doing? Giving her a chance?"

"Yes," Robin replied with a nod of his head and a reassuring smile, aiming to at least placate his friend a little.

It didn't work. "Watch what you're doing, son," warned Will.

"Will—"

"I understand that you want to help people, but some are simply beyond saving Robin." Will brought both his hands up and placed them on his friend's shoulders. "You can't fix everyone, my boy."

Robin's immediate thoughts were that he _could _fix Regina… but then he realised that she didn't need him to; she was doing it by herself. She was making her own efforts to help others, and it was she who had the strength to become the person she wanted to be. And he would be there by her side, should she ever need him.

"Perhaps, but I want to try to help her, at the least," he said.

Will's grasp on Robin's shoulders tightened, "Don't let yourself get swept up by her, Robin. Anyone with eyes can see she's a beautiful woman. But she's dangerous, very dangerous, and we don't want to see you get hurt."

"I won't," said Robin.

It was not a promise; the outlaw wouldn't promise things that were beyond his control, but he would make a conscious effort to not get in too deep, regardless of whether it would be effective or not.

Seeing that his words were not going to get him anywhere with his stubborn leader, Will stood to leave, making his way to the door. He stopped when he had a grasp on the handle. "The next time you see her majesty," he said to Robin over his shoulder, "thank her for me." Robin looked up in mild shock "I may not like the woman but she did save my life. I owe her thanks," continued Will.

"Yes, of course," Robin replied with a nod of his head, watching the door as it drifted shut. The sound of a click signalled that he was alone with his thoughts.

…

Those thoughts plagued him for the majority of his day and did not stop when night fell. A number of scenarios and doubts began creeping into Robin's head; was it possible that the nature of Will's visit was only to scold him against using magic? Or had he been sent by the rest of the Merry Men to supply Robin with an intervention of sorts? Little John had accompanied Will initially, and both of them—and the rest of his men—had been acting somewhat out of sorts. Robin knew that striking an alliance with the Queen would not have been his men's first choice, but she _had _saved Will. And for that, they all owed her, regardless of their feelings toward her.

If his men had a problem with him spending time with Regina they could talk to Robin directly. But until then, he would continue to seek out the Queen unless there was reason for him not to. And if he was being true to himself, the outlaw couldn't think of anything that could classify as valid reason. There was just something about Regina that made any moment he had with her time well spent. Something that kept her in Robin's every waking – and non-waking – thought, whether she was with him or not.

After Regina had saved Will, two days had passed before Robin had the opportunity to find her again. The outlaw had spent this time helping his friend get up on his feet, but Robin's fingers had itched to hold Regina again, and he had worked himself up into such a frenzy that he simply needed to have her and he didn't care where. That was the moment when he had caught sight of the Queen in one of the many rooms, promptly placing his hands and lips on her before he could burst into flames from unbridled lust.

But, of course, they were interrupted again, which seemed to have become somewhat of a reoccurrence for them. He swore next time he would have her, and he would. This almost-but-never-quite-having-her nearly drove Robin to madness, and if he was denied his wishes once more he would most likely snap and tumble off the edge of insanity without a care.

Upon realising that he wouldn't get any sleep whilst his thoughts remained on Regina, Robin called upon his old habit of taking comfort from the outdoors and walked over to his window to take in the beautiful scenery beneath him.

The moon washed the gardens with a silver glow and the dewy grass glittered as it rippled with every caress of the wind. The deep forests that he knew surrounded the grounds were a mere outline under the night time cover, as was the shrubbery that lined a few of the pathways for those who enjoyed nature to take a restful stroll when they so desired.

A few of those walkways curved towards a stunning water feature; a horse rearing on its hind legs formed the centrepiece at the very top, the water flowed down to the second tier, then the third, then the fourth, before it cascaded into the pool contained by a knee high wall intricately carved with vines and leaves.

Robin had to admit it; for a castle that looked as foreboding as it did magnificent, the gardens were quite breath-taking.

After a few moments, when his thoughts were somewhat under control, Robin turned back to his bed. But he couldn't resist one more look at the grounds, finding comfort in the peaceful tranquillity the night offered. And as he spotted a figure making its way away from the castle, travelling at a leisurely pace along the paved pathways with no clear destination in mind, he realised the habit of going outdoors was perhaps more common than he had realised.

He had fully intended to try and get some sleep and leave the stranger to some peace, but then Robin saw the light reflecting off of jewels, he heard the faint clicking sound of heels and he felt his heart pick up speed as he realised it was not any stranger, but the Queen.

Well, that was typical of cruel irony; Robin was trying to get her off of his mind, and there she was. Apparently, fate and the thief were not friends. And now he was faced with a decision; go back to bed and leave Regina be, or walk outside to see what had her wandering her gardens in the middle of the night.

The decision was not a difficult one to make.

A few minutes later, Robin closed the large castle doors behind him, taking a deep breath and enjoying the cool crispness of the midnight air. His eyes scoured the grounds for Regina, looking out for the silhouette of her figure on any one of the paths. His gaze fell to the fountain; she sat on the wall surrounding the water feature with her back to him, the Queen had her head bowed and seemed somewhat resigned in comparison to her usual, bold self.

"Your majesty?" Robin asked tentatively as he approached, speaking softly to avoid startling her.

It apparently wasn't quietly enough; his voice broke Regina out of her deep thoughts and she jumped with a start. Regina turned to glare at the outlaw, no doubt annoyed with him for disturbing her peace. "What are you doing here, thief?" she asked, irritated.

Robin had a feeling that admitting to checking on her wellbeing would not have been the right thing to say, so he settled for; "I couldn't sleep."

The Queen replied with a mere nod of her head, attempting to end the conversation before it even began.

Robin had not come to give up that easily, though. "Milady, are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," snapped Regina with a frustrated sigh.

"Are you certain?" Robin prodded in a tone that clearly said, _I know you're lying._

Regina gave him a glare. "There's a lot going on. I just came out here to try to clear my head."

"I understand," said Robin with a nod, "You know, most people find it easier to let go of their troubles by talking it out with someone."

She scoffed. "I'm not most people."

That she wasn't. Most people would not have him hurriedly rushing outside in the middle of the night to spend some time with them. Most people did not have him planning his every word because he wanted to see their smile, and most people did not make his heartbeat stutter whenever they were near. No, Regina was definitely not "most people".

"Well, should you change your mind, I'll be right here." Robin sat down to her right; their bodies were not quite touching, but his hand grasped the stone edge of the fountain wall a mere hair's breadth away from hers.

After a few seconds, he turned to look at her and his breath caught in his throat. Random strands of dark hair had fallen loose and floated in the breeze, her eyes travelled so that she was looking in every direction except for his, and every so often her lips would press together and she'd inhale through her nose, releasing her breath in a quiet sigh. The moonlight softened her features in a way that made her seem much younger and more peaceful than the woman he had come to know as the Queen.

And when he could not tear his gaze away, he realised that he desired to spend more time with her like this, when everything was peaceful and she wasn't hurling insults or threats.

Regina ignored Robin's gaze, continuing in her earlier thoughts as if the thief wasn't even there. Nevertheless, Regina was still comforted by his presence and the slight warmth along the side of her hand where it nearly touched his.

For a few glorious moments, there was no noise other than the sounds of the water splashing and the occasional distant call from an animal prowling the grounds. Robin was reminded again of why he loved the outdoors so much; the serenity and beauty of it. The outlaw closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, then released the breath and relaxed his muscles with a small smile.

Regina was not relaxed; there were still many things running through her mind that she could not seem to work out. Nothing that she'd done helped; she had tried reading in the library to focus, she had tried walking the corridors of her castle aimlessly, she had only resorted to walking the grounds because she'd recalled how comforting the outdoors were to her when she was younger. The fresh smell and vast, open space gave her a sense of freedom—made her family residence seem less like a prison cell and more like the home it was supposed to feel like. Although, that was when she had her father and Daniel. And now her Henry was lost. The only person in the Enchanted Forest that she could possibly talk to was herself, and that was part of the problem.

Whilst she and the thief had been growing closer, she wasn't going to suddenly start opening up to him. He was only there to distract her, to take her mind off things in ways that didn't involve talking.

The Queen's thoughts were interrupted by Robin's hand tentatively moving from beside hers to rest on top, entwining their fingers. The action was a simple one, and yet he could have proclaimed undying love for the way Regina's heart swelled and her eyes blinked back sudden moisture. The feeling of being cared for was not a common occurrence for the Evil Queen, and it made somewhat of a dent in her steel façade.

The thief had probably come outside in the middle of the night to check up on her—what with him being an honourable thief—whether he had difficulty sleeping or not. And yet he sat there, waiting patiently for her to say something, anything.

So, taking a large breath and a larger risk, Regina started talking.

"Years ago, I did nothing but cause pain and suffering for my kingdom. I enjoyed walking among my people and seeing them cower in fear. And now I'm doing everything I can to protect them from the Wicked Witch of the West—who is also my half-sister."

Robin recognised the guilt in her tone, "Being her sister does not make you responsible for her actions," He consoled.

"But it does," Regina insisted, "she's my family; my only family. And a few years ago, it was me in her position. I sought revenge, I destroyed, I tortured and I wanted nothing more than to kill all who had wronged me. But then I got a second chance. That was all I needed," a sad smile appeared on Regina's lips, "someone to believe in me."

Robin nodded his head in understanding, "Your son."

"It's because of him that I haven't killed anyone yet," Regina let out a wry laugh when the thief's eyes widened, "I think people antagonise me on purpose, testing to see how far they can push me before I snap and go on a homicidal rampage. But I won't do that; I couldn't do that, to Henry or to myself. I've come too far to go back to that now. Henry gave me a second chance, and that's what Zelena needs; a reason to try and climb out of the darkness. What better reason than family?"

Robin couldn't find any words to say, so he tightened his hold on Regina's hand. Without thinking, she tightened her hold on his in return.

"Speaking of family," Regina scoffed, "Snow's pregnant."

"Oh," exclaimed the outlaw in surprise, "Give her my congratulations."

Regina stared straight ahead, evidently not sharing his enthusiasm as she replied, "I will."

"Pardon my saying so, but you don't look particularly pleased with this news. I know you and the princess are not the best of friends, but this is _good_."

"For her, yes," agreed the Queen, "But for me? It's just another person that I have to protect."

Robin stroked his thumb over the hand he held in his grasp. "From what I've heard, Snow White and her prince are perfectly capable adults; you don't have to take care of their child for them."

"Yes, I do. After what I did to their last child…" Regina trailed off, but Robin understood what she was saying. "This one is not growing up without their parents," she promised, facing forward with steely determination in her eyes.

The fierce protectiveness Regina showed for her former arch-nemesis took Robin's breath away. Though she may not have many people that she could trust, the thief is sure that when Regina cares, she cares deeper than anyone else. And he knew that it must feel like walking in the sunlight, fighting with Regina on your side. Robin just hoped that, someday, he would be close enough to bask in her rays.

Removing his hand from hers, Robin slid his arm around her; his thumb stroked soothing patterns on her shoulder as he kissed her temple. "You do not have to go through any of this alone, you know. If you need someone to help with plans and strategies, I'm there. If you need an archer or a thief, I'm there. And bloody hell, if you need someone to throw insults and murderous threats at, I'm there," he said to her assuredly. Regina chuckled. "Tell me what you need, Regina, and you'll have it."

The Queen let out a sigh, "I need to think about something else for a while."

When she looked up at him, she knew there was a hint of vulnerability in her eyes that she could not mask. Regina heard her mother's voice resonating in the back of her mind.

_Never be vulnerable in front of others, dear; they'll use it against you. They'll think you're weak._

No, she would not let Robin think of her as weak. So she leaned forward and kissed him, a hand travelling to his neck as she shifted toward him. Robin stood without detaching his lips from hers, snaking his arms around her and pulling her closer until there was no space between them.

Nipping at her bottom lip, Robin pulled away and leaned back. He hadn't gotten past a breathy moan of "Regina," before she had reclaimed his mouth with hers. It appeared that the Queen was not quite ready to let the thief speak yet, and—if he was being completely honest with himself—the thief didn't mind the lack of conversation, either. Not when Regina grabbed his shirt at the waist and pulled him even closer to her, tilting her head and trailing her tongue along his top lip before stroking it along his own when he allowed the kiss to deepen.

Robin reached up and removed the pins from Regina's hair, letting it cascade down her back in loose waves before he tangled his fingers in the soft strands. He kissed her fiercely for a long moment with as much passion as he was given.

It was a few seconds after they had parted when Regina opened her eyes, but once she did she saw Robin lick and bite his lips, and her brain short-circuited. She ran a hand down his arm and grabbed his hand. She then pulled away, tugging him behind her toward the castle doors and leaving him no choice but to follow after her.

They made it about halfway down the path before Robin stopped and tugged Regina back to him, winding his hands in her hair and pressing his lips to hers, pressing her backwards along the route he had assumed that she was taking them.

With a short laugh, Regina gently pushed him away and turned back around, setting off in the direction of the castle entrance again. But Robin wrapped his arms around her once more and his lips latched onto her neck—and every thought in Regina's head became muddled. She glanced at the castle doors that she had been aiming for and glanced upward to where she knew her chambers were. Suddenly, the journey there seemed like an impossible feat. There was no way they would make it all the way up the steps if Robin continued nipping and sucking at her neck as if doing just that was his only purpose in life. If the thief stopped long enough for her to concentrate, she could probably use her magic to teleport them both up to her room without an issue. But her thoughts were scattered; she could think of nothing other than the feel of his lips, tongue and teeth, no doubt creating pink patterns on her neck and shoulders.

Regina turned and grabbed the thief's wrist, taking a few steps backward while still holding his gaze. She pulled them over to a dark corner below a balcony not twenty steps away, shielding them from light and any person who might have been looking out their window at this ridiculous time of night.

For a woman so much smaller than him, Regina certainly had a lot of strength behind her. Robin practically tripped over his own feet when he was turned and pressed against the wall. He barely had time to breathe before she had commandeered his lips once again, giving him a mind-blowing kiss with her tongue exploring every crevice of his mouth and her hands travelling all over him, running from his torso to his shoulders, his neck, his hair, his cheeks.

As soon as Robin gripped Regina's waist, petite hands made haste unfastening his shirt. She had made it halfway down before she tore the rest apart impatiently. Regina tried to pull Robin forward, off of the wall, so there was enough room to remove his shirt, but he had wrapped his arms around her and he refused to loosen his hold even slightly. In fact, he only tightened it, pulling her to him and then leaning back a bit until her toes could barely touch the floor if she really tried. Taking a few steps away from the wall, Robin spun them so the Queen was the one trapped between his body and the hard surface. Drawing her legs up around his waist, Regina leveraged herself higher so that the thief had to tilt his chin up to keep their mouths connected.

When Regina's back collided with the wall, it was with enough force that the back of her head thumped against the bricks. Although, the ache in her skull quickly faded when Robin unfastened the tight bodice on her gown and pulled the fabric down, palming her breasts. He leisurely trailed circles on her flushed skin with his fingers before he lightly scraped over her nipples, drawing a breathy moan from Regina as she finally managed to push his shirt off of him to grip his shoulders.

As the need for breath became overpowering, Robin released the Queen's lips and attacked a spot behind her ear, before dragging his teeth down her neck and then lower, leaving a trail of open mouthed kisses across her clavicle. He continued downward until he reached the valley between her breasts. Regina's hand flew to Robin's head and tightly grasped a handful of his hair, drawing a hiss from the thief as he drew his head back. The path of wetness that he had created glistened under the moonlight.

Feeling too much and yet not enough, Regina grabbed one of his hands and moved it until it was under her skirt, tilting her head back. "Distract me, outlaw," she whispered to him breathlessly.

"My pleasure, your majesty," he replied with a low chuckle into her chest.

As he moved the hand she had placed between her legs, he swallowed her moans, and when her hands fervently pushed down his trousers before stroking hard and heated flesh, she swallowed his.

From the direction that the situation was headed, Robin knew he could not last long, and although the Queen had made it quite clear that she was eager and not in the mood for longevity, he would not disappoint her by ending this too quickly. When he removed his hand from inside her, Regina whimpered in disappointment. But then she felt his hand wrap around the one she had around him as he lined himself up with her, and all her disappointment faded away, replaced by anticipation.

For a few seconds, there was nothing but the sound of harsh breathing until Robin heard the Queen speak, "Are you waiting for a written invitation, outl—"

Regina didn't get to finish her attempt at goading him. He thrust into her with such force that she was left out of breath, her snide remarks and thoughts gone in one swift movement. Then he placed a hand under her backside so that he held her full weight, he withdrew almost fully before he slammed back into her, and she could do nothing but moan and desperately claw at the wall behind her. "Oh, God…" she groaned.

"'Robin' will do just fine, your majesty," he snickered against her cheek as he set up a steady rhythm that sent her heart racing.

Apparently—unlike the Queen—the thief had no trouble completing sentences. Feeling the need to be on more equal ground, Regina pushed her hips off the wall to change the angle he was thrusting at to a deeper one, and then clenched around him. The resulting groan and his strained "your majesty" made her grin, and the scrapes she was developing on the flesh of her shoulders were completely worth it.

"Regina," she said, sounding breathless.

With Robin's thoughts now an incoherent jumble, he did not understand what the Queen meant. "What?" he asked.

"When we're like this," she paused as he shifted her up the wall, "I'm just 'Regina', never 'your majesty'."

"And what if you _wish_ for me to call you 'your majesty'?" Robin asked with a sly smile.

"We'll address that if we come to it," Regina stated. She moved her mouth to his ear and gritted, "Now stop talking and fuck me."

He resumed thrusting into her, breathing "Regina" into her neck. She interlocked her ankles against the small of his back, forcing him deeper and it took all his strength to keep himself standing upright. "My god!" he grunted into her neck.

"Robin—" Whatever the Queen had intended to say was caught in her throat, the change of depth meant that he was hitting a sweet spot with every movement of his hips.

When the Queen had left her room not thirty minutes before, fucking Robin against an outside wall had not been an event she had pictured her night leading to.

Nevertheless, she wasn't complaining; she had to admit, for a common thief he seemed perfectly capable of reducing her to a quivering mess—if their past encounter in the library and their current engagement against this wall were anything to go by.

God help her if they ever actually got into a bed.

Afraid the scream she so desperately wanted to release would wake those sleeping a few stories above them, Regina bit into Robin's shoulder. _Hard. _The outlaw let out a growl as he kneaded her rear and thrusted into her more forcefully.

Regina clawed at his back, hands slipping on the fine sheen of sweat that coated his skin. She lifted her head from his shoulder until her mouth was right by his ear, subconsciously inhaling and exhaling in time with his thrusts before—in the sexiest voice Robin had ever heard—she whispered, "Take me harder."

Robin's movements faltered at her words and it took him a few seconds to recover before he complied with her orders. After all… she was his Queen.

The faster pace and harder thrusts made both Regina and Robin gasp for air. But nevertheless, they still met each other halfway for a bruising kiss, Regina's arms wrapped around Robin's neck to hold on to him and he wound his arms under her thighs to keep her from slipping.

Breaking apart and growling into her ear, Robin pulled Regina's hips to meet his, burying himself in her to the hilt time and time again. The Queen practically yelped, her moans became higher pitched as she felt herself climb unbearably high towards the edge.

Robin himself wasn't faring any better; the coil within him tightened to the point that he could snap at any second. Reaching a hand back around to Regina's front, he brushed his thumb against her clit once, twice, before he felt her spine arch against him and her whole body tightened. The repeated moans of his name and profanities that escaped her had Robin falling over the edge too. He dropped his head to the Queen's shoulder with a groan as he tried to remain standing on his quivering legs.

It was a short while before they heard anything other than the sounds of nature and their harsh breathing. Regina lowered her legs and leaned completely against the wall, the dull ache of bruises and scrapes signalled the marks that she would no doubt be tending to later.

Of course, the lull didn't last long as the insufferable thief mumbled, "I told you you'd enjoy it," into Regina's neck.

It was a few moments before Regina's brain could function enough to recall the conversation they'd had that the outlaw was referring to.

A man of his word, indeed.

It vaguely occurred to the Queen that they should set some boundaries; as fantastic as being taken against the wall had been, it would not do to make public sex a constant. Because if word of this got out, either Regina would never hear the end of it, or Robin would lose the respect of many. And Regina would not let herself ruin Robin's reputation.

The Queen promised herself that she would bring the topic up next time. There would be a next time; she promised that too.

And just like the outlaw, Regina always kept her word.


End file.
